Habits must change to clean up water

| Saturday, January 11, 2003 10:00 PM PST ∞

MARTY GRAHAM
Staff Writer

When the cities and county of San Diego took up the task of cleaning up storm drain discharge, they were left with a peculiar task: get their residents to change their behavior.

That's because residents ---- non-point sources, in water quality jargon ---- contribute to the pollution of the region's creeks and oceans in many small ways that add up to big problems.

"The water quality problem isn't going to be solved until we change the way we think about how we use the storm drains," said John Robertus, the executive officer of the state Regional Water Quality Control Board. "We've all been educated on air quality, we're getting educated on trash, and now we have to start learning about water quality."

Construction sites and parking lots are generally thought to be the worst sources of storm drain pollution. But plenty of bad stuff comes from homes, yards, pets and cars and ends up killing fish, sudsing up rivers, encouraging weeds that choke out vital plants and closing beaches.

"Say you've got a thousand people in the neighborhood who use two tablespoons each of auto cleaner to wash their cars in the driveway." Robertus said. "Then you've got 2,000 tablespoons going into storm drains and then the rivers, and it strips off the slime that keeps fish alive all through the rivers and to the ocean. Then the birds die, and the soap changes the plants, too. That's from one day of people washing their cars in the neighborhood."

There is a direct connection between the E. coli bacteria in the ocean and the dog poop left on the curb in Escondido, Robertus said. And a direct link between excess lawn fertilizer in Ramona and the weeds choking the life out of the Agua Hedionda Creek.

"We've made sure that any pollutant that's on the ground enters the world of concrete curbs and pipes," he said. "We've got 11 river systems within 50 miles of the coast, and it's a sure thing that that's where our pollutants will end up."

Doing things smarter

The city of San Diego has one of the more aggressive programs in the region ---- including the ability and will to fine offenders, including people who leave dog droppings behind or otherwise violate water quality rules.

Deborah Castillo, of the city's Think Blue campaign, said her staff follows up on complaints of illegal discharge against apartment owners, restaurants, Laundromats and residents.

"Water is the wheels for the bad-guy pollutants," Castillo said.

"It's not so much 'don't do things' as it is 'do things a little smarter,' " she said. "But we do tell people to take pictures of the offending dog or concrete dump, and we'll make sure the offender is fined, up to $100 on the first offense."

Poway and San Diego have both issued stop-work orders against storm-drain offenders, and San Diego does fine people, Robertus said. In fact, he turned in a construction company that dumped its excess concrete into a storm drain after working at a neighbor's house in Rancho Penasquitos last month.

Challenging habits

Stormwater ordinances put in place in the last year by municipal governments prohibit lots of things that residents take for granted. Encinitas's ordinance, for example, prohibits littering and leaving pet waste that will end up in the storm drains. It also requires that parking lots and sidewalks ---- impervious surfaces, in clean-water jargon ---- be swept regularly instead of being hosed off. The region's rules for business, industry and construction sites have also changed considerably, but most companies have learned about the changing requirements while they obtain permits and licenses to stay in business.

Changing the public's habits will be the real challenge, according to Sandy Mathews, a scientist at the Lawrence Livermore Laboratories.

"Any time you attempt to change the habits of the public you run into resistance, and it will take 10 years to educate the public," she said. "It's crucial that we get started, because what you and I do at home and in our cars has a serious effect on water quality."

Added Matthews, "Cleaning up after the water is polluted is a lot less efficient and more expensive because we have to try to remove some portion of some very stubborn stuff. It makes more sense to learn the simple steps not to make the mess."

Contact staff writer Marty Graham at (760) 740-3517 or mgraham@nctimes.com

Who to call to report an illegal mess or for info:

Regional hotline, county of San Diego: (888) 846-0800

City of San Diego: (619) 235-1000

Carlsbad hotline: (760) 602-2799

Encinitas hotline: (760) 633-2632

Web sites with storm water info:

City of San Diego: www.thinkbluesd.org

San Diego County: www.projectcleanwater.org

Poway: www.ci.poway.ca.us/poway_today/npdes/

Vista: www.ci.vista.ca.us/gov/sewer/sewer_stormwater_info.pdf

Carlsbad: www.ci.carlsbad.ca.us/cserv/storm.html

Encinitas: www.ci.encinitas.ca.us

Tips to prevent pollution:

LAWNS: Keep clippings out of storm drains. Pick up pet waste. Sweep, rather than hose off, driveways and sidewalks. Or use a shop vacuum and dump the water into the sewer system, where it will be treated. Water the lawn only as needed and don't let the water run into the street. Avoid getting herbicides like Roundup, pesticides and fertilizers into the storm drain by using only a small amount and not before it rains. "Diazinon, used properly according to directions, will cause a toxic event in the storm drain by killing an entire class of insect that birds and fish feed on, so they die," said Sandy Mathews, of the Stormwater Task Force. "Fertilizers cause algae blooms that choke out the oxygen needed by other life forms, including native plants. At the very least you end up with an odor problem."

HOMES: Clean gutters. Make sure washing machines drain into the sewer system, not storm drains or the street. Clean painting tools in the sink, not the gutter. Pick up trash and litter.

POOLS: Drain the pool only after the chlorine levels are no longer detected by the testing kit.

CARS: Fix leaks. Clean up and properly dispose of oil, grease and chemicals. Wash your car at a legally permitted car wash or park on the lawn to clean it. Use a hose with a shut-off nozzle so less water ends up on the ground.

PETS: Pick up pet waste and dispose of it in the trash or the toilet. Pet waste is the primary source for bacteria that ends up in the ocean ---- and waste left on lawns and curbs ends up in storm drains. Last year, Poway found that pet wastes were the primary contaminant in Poway Creek. San Diego has already started fining people who don't pick up the waste if the city has photographic proof.

1/12/03