-return to Clean Lakes -

Are Area Lakes and Streams Protected from Drainage from Your Home?
Steve Tonn, Extension Educator – Omaha Metro Area Lakes

You don’t need a heavy rainstorm to send pollutants rushing towards Omaha metro area lakes and streams. A garden hose or sprinkler alone can supply enough water.

The next time you are home during a rain shower, head outdoors with your boots and umbrella and watch where the rainwater goes. Does water soak into the ground quickly, or does it collect in puddles and flow off lawns and driveways? Do you see a stormwater superhighway? Is your rooftop connected to a gutter system that empties onto the sidewalk, driveway or street?

During your walk, note how far it is to the nearest storm sewer, ditch, stream, or creek. Note whether runoff flows onto your property from adjacent streets, lawns, or stormwater systems. If you live at or near the bottom of a hill, you may have problems unique to your relatively low –lying position. Be sure to go out during more than one rain shower to get a good understanding of runoff flow during small and large storms.

Reducing pollutants in runoff is important. The stormwater sewer system connects every home to a creek, stream, or lake. Many of these homeowners use fertilizer or pesticides on lawns, gardens, shrubs and trees. Improperly storing and applying these products may result in fertilizer or pesticides washing off and into the stormwater sewer and finally into the metro area lakes and streams. It is important to know how to maintain your yard while still protecting these waters. Proper application of fertilizers and pesticides, safe storage practices, and correct watering are all part of the overall protection plan.

 Landscaping and site management to control runoff is another method that homeowners can do to protect the water. Surface waters need to be protected from lawn and garden activities that cause soil erosion. Land-disturbing activities, uncovered soil surfaces, and the absence of water-retaining structures may cause soil to move into streams and lakes. Excess sediment and nutrients from fertilizer in surface waters can kill important food sources for fish and harm the water quality. It is important that you keep your soil, fertilizers, and pesticides on your property.