Residents play a big role in stormwater quality improvement. A slogan developed for the highly effective anti-litter campaigns of a few years ago?"Every litter bit hurts"?is equally appropriate in stormwater pollution control.

The little leak of automobile fluids that one vehicle drips while waiting at the stop light is not a problem. Multiply that by the tens of thousands of vehicles that leak fluids and wash it off into Little Cottonwood Creek the next time it rains and it becomes a problem?a big problem!

Salt Lake County recreation areas that are affected by stormwater quality include, but are not limited to, Parley?s Canyon, City Creek Canyon, Millcreek Canyon, Little Cottonwood Canyon, Big Cottonwood Canyon, Murray City Park and the Jordan River Parkway.

Over use of chemicals on our lawns and in our gardens can cause excess to be washed into the gutter from a rainstorm or even by our own sprinkler system.

The seemingly inconsequential act of hosing off the dirt and debris on our driveway into the storm gutters can cause serious problems with these waterways.

The pesticides, the dirt, the lawn clippings that we hose or sweep into the gutter ends up clogging fish spawning areas and covering the stream channel floor. The result is less oxygen, less food, less fish.

Some day-to-day activities that residents undertake that have an impact on stormwater quality are discussed in fact sheets that can be accessed below:

These links will open in a new page
and require Acrobat Reader for viewing.

• Pet Waste and Water Quality (222kb)

• Household and Vehicle Maintenance (224kb)

• Fresh Concrete and Mortar Application (215kb)

• Erosion Control (224kb)

• Paint and Household Hazardous Waste (225kb)

• Landscaping, Gardening and Yard Maintenance (207kb)

Watch the 2005 Public Service Announcement (1.3mb wmv)

Watch the 2004 Public Service Announcement (575k wmv)