Stream Care Guide:

Management Tips for Streamside Property Owners

Pollution

Stream pollution is a problem that occurs in most of our streams in varying degrees.

Sometimes the pollution occurs in small amounts over a long period of time, such as from a leaky sewer line. Other times it occurs in large doses all at once, such as when someone dumps their used motor oil into a ditch or street drain that goes into a small stream.

Always dispose of wastes properly — for the health and safety of people, as well as plants and animals. Think of any waterway — a gutter, drainage ditch, roadside curb — as part of the stream system, even though there aren't fish in your curbside gutter. If you dump motor oil there, however, that pollution will end up downstream, where the fish are and maybe where you may be swimming in the summer.

If your house is on septic system located within 100 feet of a stream, watch the area for surfacing sewage, especially during winter. If sewage appears, call the County Health Department. They will help you determine what the problem is and what you can do about it.

Remember to check your septic system frequently and pump it regularly. If you live by a stream, you have a special responsibility to make sure it is functioning efficiently. Some watersheds contain more than 100 septic systems per square mile. Because of this density, massive loads of bacteria and dissolved nutrients can enter nearby streams from poorly functioning systems.

Some older septic systems have a safety drainpipe that carries overflow sewage directly to a stream. This is illegal — and unhealthy. It is the same as dumping untreated sewage directly into the stream! Replacement of leaking septic tanks or inefficient leach fields and timely pumping of all systems can help keep this substantial source of stream contamination in check. Be sure you have a properly installed and maintained system!

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