For Businesses
Businesses, institutions, churches and medical facilities all play a role in protecting our local waterways. Check out these housekeeping tips for ways to reduce your contribution to stormwater pollution. You can also contact the GLRC to partner in educating your staff and customers on pollution prevention.
Be Stormwater Smart
Our small everyday actions can add to become big problems or big solutions. Do your part by following some of these tips!
More information is available on our For Residents resource page.
THE NEED FOR SMART SALTING
Across the region and Michigan, winter maintenance activities are a big contributor to salt in the environment. To keep the public safe, we apply salt to roads, parking lots, trails, and sidewalks to melt snow and ice. During melts, much of that salt goes down storm drains and directly into our lakes, rivers, and streams. Fortunately, best management practices and salt alternatives are utilized by many local communities to ensure public safety while reducing salt in the environment.
The cost of using too much salt goes beyond the pavement. An abundance of salt in the environment is toxic and lethal to aquatic life, pollutes drinking water sources, harms our pets and plants, and damages vehicles and our infrastructure.
PICK UP AFTER YOUR PET- stormwater transfers E. Coli from pet waste into surface water. Keep canoeing and swimming safe by properly disposing of pet waste.
REDUCE SALT USAGE- driveway salt can increase chloride levels in surface waters and become toxic to wildlife at high levels. Use sparingly, or find a more safe alternative.
USE A COMMERCIAL CAR WASH- washing your car in the driveway can send grease, oils, fuel, soap and dirt into storm drains and into rivers. Car wash facilities have special drains and dirty wash water is treated.
MULCH MOW LEAVES- excess leaves can clog street drains. This can cause flooding, and decaying plants also rob surface water of oxygen, harming aquatic life. Mulch them with your lawn mower and let them fertilize your lawn. Otherwise, rake them and bag them so they don't blow into storm drains.
GARDEN SAFE- lawn pesticides harm aquatic life, and fertilizers can cause algae to overgrow and destroy river habitats. Limit usage or use environmentally friendly alternatives when possible. Also consider installing a rain garden to help capture and infiltrate runoff.
USE A RAIN BARREL- the more water you keep from the drains, the better. Attach a rain barrel to your gutter system and use it to water your plants.
CLEAN YOUR SEPTIC- keep your septic system well maintained. Septic systems can leach E. Coli into the watershed.
REPORT POLLUTERS- if you see someone illegally dumping into storm drains, know what to do! Alert your municipality of illegal activity.
