Local public works battle storm drain pollution

Lodi's streets and drainage manager, George Bradley, looks over the Woodbridge Irrigation Canal on Tuesday next to Beckman Park in Lodi. (Brian Feulner/News-Sentinel)

Local public works battle storm drain pollution

By Natalie Flynn
Special to the News-Sentinel

Monday, August 11, 2008 6:30 AM PDT

Comments (4 comment(s))

During the rainy season, driving past certain parks in Lodi can be like driving past Lodi Lake in the summer.

Ducks swim on deep water, mud coats the sides, and danger signs are posted every few feet.

But it isn't a lake. The bowls of water are part of a massive storm water drainage system that keeps water off the streets.

Water coming through the storm water sewage system is swept right from the streets into a maze of underground pipes, and is sent directly to the rivers and canals without treatment.

Many people pollute the water because they have no idea how easily garbage and chemicals travel, so the city of Lodi is hosting a workshop on Thursday to help locals understand the city's storm water drainage system.

George Bradley, streets and drainage manager for the city of Lodi, hopes that picking up trash will one day become as natural as putting on a seat belt in the car.

"(People) need to go, 'Oh, wait a minute — this goes to the river,'" Bradley said.

Lodi has three types of sewage systems: sanitary, the type that takes human waste out to places like White Slough for sanitation; industrial, the system that pulls water from factories; and the storm water drainage system that pulls street water.

Even though storm water is most often just rain water flowing from Lodi's streets and gutters, it is often polluted.

Storm water pollution prevention at home

Be storm-ready. Rake and sweep, as blowing leaves into the street can cause localized flooding.

Use small amounts of biodegradable soap, and wash your vehicle on a grass or gravel area.

Choose water-based paints and wipe paint brushes before washing them in a sink.

Use an absorbent, like kitty litter or sand, to soak up oil and antifreeze, then sweep the mixture up. Do not hose pollutants down the driveway.

Report any incidents of waste dumping to the Lodi storm drain hotline at 368-5735.

Source: City of Lodi Public Works Department

Environmental video contest

World's Greatest Resource, a local environmental agency, is hosting a scholarship opportunity for high school students interested in creating a storm water-themed video.

There are three categories for submissions: a 30-second public service announcement, a 60-second public service announcement, or a 5-10 minute documentary.

Grand prize winners will earn a $1,000 scholarship, while three runners-up will each earn $100.

Source: Press kit from World's Greatest Resource Productions and www.worldsgreatestresource.com

"The little fish signs put above the drains do not stop people from dumping into rivers," Bradley said. Unfortunately for public works officials, this means all "floatables," such as bottles, cans and plastic, find their way into the fresh water.

"What people don't realize is that storm water affects everything," Bradley said.

Storm water pollution occurs when someone dumps materials that don't belong in the water into storm drains. The polluted water then flows, without treatment, directly into creeks and rivers, where it can harm aquatic life.

Before reaching canals, the water goes through a maze of pipes, tanks and catch basins.

Catch basins capture water off streets, which comes from lawns and other areas around homes and businesses.

It then travels to one of seven pumping stations in Lodi.

There, floatables get stuck until there is enough water to push them out to storm basins or rivers.

By the time garbage is in the system, it is too late to clean it out.

When water pumped into rivers or canals overwhelms the system, parks around Lodi with deep grass areas are used for storing excess water until the rivers go down.

Maintenance is done year-round because there are too many drain inlets for city crews to clean in the short amount of time before a storm.

Filters are out of the question, because debris would be pushed up against them and clog the drainage system even more, according to information provided by the city.

Common items found in storm drain systems are heavy metals, paint products, fertilizers and antifreeze.

These often wash off driveways and go right into the streets' drainage systems.

In order to curb the amount of pollutants, public works officials recommend using cat litter on spills, and then sweeping the litter into a garbage can.

Currently, the city of Lodi, under the Environment Protection Act passed in 1972, must follow six control measures.

These measures, Bradley said, keep storm drain pollution at a minimum and allow developers to know what the laws are both countyand state-wide.

These requirements include: public education, public involvement, illicit discharge detection, construction site runoff, post-construction storm water management, and pollution prevention, known as "good housekeeping."

In order to meet these requirements, the city has decided to hold a storm water pollution prevention program to inform locals about dangers of dumping.

The conference will be held on Thursday from 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Hutchins Street Square. You can register online at www.gotswppp.com.

Contact Natalie Flynn at natalief@lodinews.com.

Reader Feedback

Whoa Nellie! wrote on Aug 11, 2008 2:59 PM:

" Cog, i think that's only Pacman Jones. King of the idiot athletes. "

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patton1 wrote on Aug 11, 2008 12:02 PM:

" Very very very funny you two. "

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Cogito wrote on Aug 11, 2008 10:27 AM:

" T & C, I looked up "rain" and it apparently is what strippers call hands full of money thrown in the air. A common practice of thug professional athletes. "

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