The Androscoggin Valley Stormwater Working Group (Lewiston, Auburn, Lisbon and Sabattus), in association with Androscoggin Valley Soil and Water Conservation District, normally hosts an event in the beginning of June each summer that involves working with local volunteers for cleaner and safer waters.
The group gathers at Festival Plaza in Auburn for a discussion about clean water and municipal stormwater drainage systems. The volunteers then split up to conduct street stenciling in multiple neighborhoods in these respective municipalities.
In the age of COVID-19, the organizations have agreed to cancel the annual gathering, since the member municipalities will be stenciling while maintaining safe social distancing measures without the help of volunteers. Androscoggin Valley SWCD and the Androscoggin Valley Stormwater Working Group are sharing information online to continue to spread the word about stormwater health and how the community can help protect the waters while still staying safe.
This year, the city of Auburn conducted stenciling June 28 on Fern, Holly and Josslyn streets. A total of 31 basins were stenciled, and door hangers were hung in the entire neighborhood.
The stencils mark the street near municipal drainage inlets, also known as catch basins. Stormwater is precipitation that doesn’t soak into the ground; rain that flows from rooftops to lawns, across driveways and into sidewalks and roads is collected by these storm drains and discharged, untreated, into local bodies of water. Along the way, stormwater has collected pesticides and fertilizers, bacteria from pet waste, oil and petroleum, sediment, trash, and cigarette butts.
This stenciling event is an effort to help educate the public of this process and to remind people not to dump down the drain. The Maine Department of Environmental Protection estimates that 40% to 70% of rain and snow that hits the ground leaves the average residential lot as stormwater runoff.
Additionally, the illegal dumping of waste or trash into the drainage system can create more pollution and clog drainage systems, creating backups, nuisance flooding, and requires expensive cleaning operations. Public engagement in pollution prevention, such as environmentally-sensitive lawn care, can greatly assist municipalities in these costly clean-ups which fall on taxpayers.
Residents can still make a difference by following these five steps on their properties:
• Build healthy soil: By using organic material and mulches, soil will increase its water retention and minimize stormwater runoff.
• Mow better: Taller grass helps maintain healthy soil, which absorbs more water, resulting in less polluted runoff from lawns. Leave lawn clippings for natural fertilizer.
• Practice smart watering: Plan plant/lawn watering around rain events and use automated systems to reduce the amount of property runoff. Give plants just what they need but not too much.
• Think twice before using fertilizers and pesticides: Use phosphorus-free or slow-release fertilizers. Phosphorus and pesticides cumulatively contaminate water bodies when they drain into them.
• Practice yardscaping: Use native plants, and group plants together that need similar amounts of water.
To find out ways to help prevent pollution, visit yardscaping.org.