, February 2, 2007 When It Rains, It Drains What Is storm water? Storm water gram precipitation that lows won the ground and pave ment when it rains or when snow and ice rneh. The water seeps into the ground or drains into what we call storm sewers. These we the drains you see al skeet corms or at low paints on doe sides of streets. Collectively, the &sink% water is cued storm water runoff 1161 Is steno meta "plod rale soner? Storm water becomes a problem when it picks up darns, chemicals. t, and other pollutants as it flaws or when it causes 'tooling and erosion of stream barks. Storm water baveis liwouo a network of pipes and roadside ditches that make up storm sewer systems. It everilu• ally Sows &ratty to a lee. river, stream, wetland, or coastal water. Al of the pollutants storm water units alone, the way empty into our waters, too, because storm water does not Set ameatea. —Pet wades left on the rnand set carried away by stem water, addle/shill/mid bacteria, parasites, and viruses to our water. -lAshides drip Acids (oil. grease. psdine, aniffecre, Wake fluids, etc.) onto pavement areas where storm water nersofficanies them through our storm drains and into our water. --Chan feels used to cow and maintain beautiful lawns and sardens, if not used pope*, can run oft into the storm drakis when it rains or when we water our lawns and 'Arden:. —Waste from d►anicais and materials used in consbudion can wash into the storm sow system when it rains. Soil that erodes from construction sites causes erwironrnental degadap Lion, induding harming fish and shdlish populations that are important Ice recreation and ow sawmill. Mat happen who It rails? Rain is an important put of nave's water qde. but there are limes it can do more damage than good. Problems related to storm water waif can include: —Flooding caused by too mud) storm water Amine over bard. used whoa: suds as roads and pairing lots, instead of soaking into the ground. —lncreases in spending an main gaining storm drains and Mom mom systems that become digged with emissive dirt and debris. —Decreases in spat lith popula. lions because storm water carries sediment and pollutants that degrade important fish habitats. —More expensive treatment iedh nolosies to remove harmful pollutants carried by storm water into our &irking supplies. —Closed beadles due to high levels of backsia carried by stem water that make svrinwriing unsafe. f r torthro inforinotion on sturm ordter, uisit: www.opp.osiimin 111S4' Understanding Storm Water and How It Can (Hied Your Money, Safety, Health, and the Enuironment Nato* Nes Reitatiat What berme Do Ds b I* Mb an hdp Ma futon ho rod Nutlike whit• policing or With aid oollroomost wish 'moles ,no.. far ow committee Rale by awn Is Important for roptsaishing drinking maw supplies, rursellos, sad kosldrywildNes habitats. It becomes a protdam oaly Mum pollutants ...now actsidas such as ear main tsasscadows cm, sad dog waNdag aro Mk ea tits amend kr rain *wash sway. Here we some a'. mon Impartial ways lo reveal Own woke polluika —*rope*/ &poop aillasardoiss sabstonces sack as used A, domino supplies, Mid paint. News pow thorn dove any part Odle storm sow maim aid mart aria* who dodo. --Use poodokiloo, FortKam and itatibkidos property and ondoody to proem aeons moot —took for sips okoN sea other pdlotooss, such as dais and skunk*, loosing ansevalon 164111 is sown, water moot cso necked Into meets) , comProdon vaiddes. Ihport poet monied an mob* alto dist cosid Impact awn wow selloffto your comnomity. (ies tea bosons of lk• pogo for costa* Informinlos.) —handl howlOs Own, wow pucllcss os rasidasdai prow% sad as refs bonds ar mis sardssa, that aptirs storm wow and key It oa duo bawd o'lol4 It drain may Isto gar storm wow mom. --Ripon say dscharle from storm wow ow U= Autos dross of dry woke—. ism that dm, could b. a problem +NIA 0141 storm NW 011111111. —Rd ap aftar pea and dopes& of tkak waste proparty. No matter Wm, pets nuke a rono—bt a backyard or st dm park—storm wow rettoircan carry pat waste from **had to the mom sower 'yaws $a MSS% —Store mstoriels that weld pallet* storm moor Indoors gad vs* contain grs for owtdoor storage that do not rut or logic to A Waste avows of materials to storm mix ir Poesyhulls Ospartmeat a Environmental Protection unneAckstailipiLtill Cantles Peel Resldn, OPIP Conwrienleatkons Coordlower it 1h446p9650 or pokiippicadv The Behrend Beacon PENNSTATE Test Your Stems Sewer System Semi What makes up the storm sewer system in your aonwnunity? See if you can identify which elements se part of the storm sewer system in this quiz. (Answers we blow.) The kiliciwirl items are part of the dam sewer system: 0 A dlu:h (rnio or kW) 0 A ire hydrant (Aw or Wu) O A storm drain lelst (Trio or False) • A curb with a 'tam drain !slat (Trws or ham) 0 A Nam sew out 611 row or Friss) 0 A OolllA (rna or Fake) 0 A sapic system (Tiw or False) • Roads and othor pawed woos (T►w o► fibo) limes to Tod V.w Storm Sew %stem 31111/1 Tice—A ditch is part of the storm sewer system. Most people think that the system a juste WOOS of undersnound pipes. It car► also include ditches used to convey storm watt► from the kind so s receiving lake, rlw►, or strewn. II Fila—A Ns hydrant Is not pit of storm sewer system. Water sprayed from Are hydrants is not storm water. but IS akarred by Istar to War tha steam Wooer system. I Tow 4p--,0 1 1 storm dram inlet Is port or th• Worm sowar systrn, Many mph, do not rtlalair that this Is an opening lading to the storm sower system. Unriarstand , ing what storm drains look aka may prfrvent people from using them as trash racistatlas. Storm drains art metal• framed openings at tt►a sidetbotiont d a roadway. Some have grata over thew 4 lines--A curb with storm *Sin OW Is part of the storm wooer system. As IS theca* with a storm &sin Inlet (Na j). anything that enters this Main will go dimity to streams, rivet and lakes without teeing titiated Ant Anything that gals Into thAs Inlet (4., trash, loves, hazardous materials) Inri*ls direct ts tO a recoving lake, Over. of strum without being treated first. Many communities stencil atom drains with - 00 NOt Gump• inessevis to lc people knot( S five—A stoem sewer °whit is pan 01 the item sorer system. An °Well ►s what storm water drains from the storm sewer system into a margins lake. OF Over. If them hi a pow from en outlaU whApn R lirrt rrNrNns , 1 0 4110 cookl be s prot4em with the system or someone has used $ storm dram for ml4sart disposlel or n't stet*. relen—A toast is not pan of the storm sow system. Wastewater from slinks and toku in house! sod businesses hovels Dwain a sow system con• *Witched to carry sanitary wets In some instances. Oldln communities may hays a combined seiser system desired to carry twin storm water and sanitary 7 Ftlise—A Septit SySloan is a% W of Ow Ilona Sawa, *Wan HOmEnninatS us. saptic tanks to mimosa sanitsq wastes on.site. lm popery maintained sipac sysurins can leak and conttlatite postulants to the storm sower system, as welt as directly to take, elvers, end WOWS. 11 False—Roads and oche, pared shies see not put of the slope Writ system. Reeds and olive' herdened surfaces such sis parkins loft and slOowSlks can accumulate pollutants (*.s., di, yeas*, dirt, laawss, trash, pet wastes) that storm water evintually washes into Int norm $414141 system.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers