W ays fo for r Businesses to Reduce their r Storm rmwater r Pollution
• Backgro round • G reen Storm re rmwater • PEC In Infra frastru ructure re • W ater r C ycle • Examples • W aters rsheds • Benefi fits • C urre rrent Is Issues • O ther G uides and • Development impacts Resourc rces • Storm rmwater Is Issues • Pollutants • Solutions • Id Identify fying Pollutants • H ousekeeping and C leanup • Pro ropert rty Im Impro rovements
The Pennsylvania Enviro ronmental C ouncil (PEC ) pro rotects and re restore res the natura ral and built enviro ronments thro rough innovation, collabora ration, education and advocacy. PEC believes in the value of f part rtners rships with the pri rivate sector, r, govern rnment, communities and individuals to impro rove the quality of f life fe fo for r all Pennsylvanians.
Natura ral U rb rban Rain soaks into the gro round Rain hits ro rooft ftops, stre reets & parking lots, can’t soak in, and Tre rees soak up ra rainwater ru runs off ff Runoff ff goes into the sewers rs
10% Runoff ff 50% 15% 55% Runoff ff Infi In filtra ration In Infi filtra ration
Ero rosion Flooding Estimated G ro roundwater r Lost to Runoff ff 1982-1997 1997 Atlanta: 56.9 to 132.8 billion gallons Boston: 43.9 to 102.5 billion gallons Seattle: 10.5 to 24.6 billion gallons C ombined Sewer r O verfl rflows
Nutri rients Sediment Pathogens O rg rganic Materi rials Toxic C ontaminants Deicing C onstituents Debri ris Therm rmal Stre ress
Systems that mimic natura ral pro rocesses in ord rder r to infi filtra rate, evapora rate, and/o /or r re reuse storm rmwater. .
G re reen Roofs fs Downspout Planters rs Poro rous Pavement v Tre ree Tre renches Rain G ard rdens In Infra frastru ructure re impro rovements can re reduce the amount of f ru runoff ff from your fro r pro ropert rty, decre reasing the pollutants enteri ring the system.
Poro rous Pavement
G re reen Roofs fs
Rain G ard rdens
Tre ree Tre renches v
Downspout Planters rs
Bioswales
H ow Bioswales W ork rk
- In Incre reased re rents and pro ropert rty values - In Incre reased re retail sales - Energ rgy savings - Storm rmwater fe fee cre redits and other r fi financial incentives - Reduced infra frastru ructure re costs - Reduce costs associated with fl flooding - Reduced water bills - Reduced cri rime - In Incre reased mental health and work rker r pro roductivity fo for r offi ffice employees
- Landscaping adds appro roximately 7%to tothe avera rage re rental ra rate fo for offi ffice buildings - C onsumers rs are re willing to spend 8-10% more re, visit more re, or r tra ravel fa fart rther r to shop where re there re is attra ractive landscaping or r gre reen stre reets
- For r a medium-sized offi ffice building re rental in Philadelphia this could mean an additional $72, 150 in re rental income per r year - For r a mid-sizedre retail center this could mean over $1 $1 million in in incre reasedannual annual sales
- Landscaping and tre rees incre rease re residential pro ropert rty values 2-5% 5% - G reen ro re roofs fs may add 16% to the avera rage multifa family unit re rental ra rate
Make it Your r Business W hat are re the Pollutants? W hat C auses Pollution? H ow to Pre revent Pollution
Deterg rgents G re rease Fert rtilizer Tra rash Dumpster r Sediment Discharg rge
Excess Nutri rients Leading Excess Sediment Impairs rs to Algae Blooms Fishes H abitats
H eavy Metals can Pollute Food Sourc rces
Pollution of f Downstre ream Dri rinking W ater
Dispose of Trash Properly Tra rash Disposal
Dispose of Trash Properly Tra rash Disposal • Keep dumpsters rs in good condition with lids closed • Make sure re all containers rs are re leak-pro roof • Keep dumpsters rs away fro from ro roof f gutter r downspouts to pre revent ru rusting of f container r and Replace corro rroded or r leaking bro roken containers rs
Dispose of Trash Properly C leaning
Dry ry C leanup Methods • Sweep or r Vacuum • Keep outdoor r are reas litter-fr free Avoid hosing down • U se absorb rbent pro roducts to clean dirt rty paved are reas up chemical or r oil spills • In In larg rge are reas use a stre reet sweeper r or r pro rofe fessional cleaning machine serv rvice. C ontra ractors rs are re re require red to dispose of f wastewater r at appro roved fa facilities • W hen necessary ry, seek non- toxic, eco-fri friendly altern rnatives to cleaning chemicals
Dispose of Trash Properly Engine Maintenance & Fueling
Engine Maintenance • Fueling and engine maintenance should be done: • under r cover r • on a hard rd surfa rface that can be easily cleaned • Dispose of of O il andG re rease Pro roperl rly
Dispose of Trash Properly Supply Stora rage
Supply Stora rage • C over r all outdoor r stora rage containers rs with leak-pro roof f lids • U se heavy-duty well-anchore red plastic tarp rps • Put in back-up pro rotection to catch leaks fro from stora rage containers rs • Do not place stora rage containers rs in the dire rect fl flow of f ra rainwater
Dispose of Trash Properly Toxic Materi rials
Toxic Materi rials • Dispose of f all toxic materi rials pro roperl rly including: • Do NO Tput toxic materi rials down storm rmdra rains • Purc rchase necessary ry chemicals in limited quantities so that stora rage fo for r long peri riods is not needed • Recycle Pro roducts whenever r possible visit www.eart rth911.com to fi find out what you can re recycle
Label Storm rmwater r Dra rains
Tra rain Employees on Pollution Pre revention and Spill Pro rocedure res
Look fo for r Signs of f G rease Stains re O il Sheens in Puddles Pollution & Identify Id fy C auses Ero roding Stre ream Banks Tra rash
C heck Storm rmwater r Dra rains, Downspouts and G utters rs C lear r Any Debri ris
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