Understanding Stormwater

Every gutter in your neighborhood drains through an inlet then into the storm sewer system that then drains to streams, ditches, lakes, and ponds in your neighborhood. These water bodies are drinking water supplies, recreational areas and the homes of wildlife.

The five items that impact water quality are total suspended solids, flow volume, nutrients, fertilizers and pesticides.

• Total Suspended Solids - TSS includes all solids present in a water sample including metals, minerals and dirt.
• Flow volume - Increased volume erodes a waterway's habitat.
• Nutrients - The term "nutrients" encompasses many elements found to be essential to our environment. When looking at water quality, there are two main nutrients that in large quantities are pollutants. These two nutrients are nitrogen and phosphorus. Nitrogen and phosphorus increase the growth of algae in waterways decreasing the amount of oxygen in the water for the natural habitats. These two nutrients may also release ammonia-ammonia is toxic to fish and other aquatic life. Not only does pet waste contain bacteria, viruses, and parasites, decaying pet waste in a stream reduces the amount of oxygen available to natural habitats in waterways and may release ammonia, toxic to fish and other aquatic life.
• Fertilizers - Fertilizers often contain nitrogen and phosphorus (the nutrients most often found to be pollutants to surface water bodies). 
• Pesticides - Pesticides that enter surface waterbodies ultimately impact natural by eliminating insects that are essential to an effective ecosystem.

CITY OF FEDERAL HEIGHTS

MEETING OF THE CITY COUNCIL

JANUARY 5, 2010

7:00 P.M.

AGENDA

Individual photos of Council Members