The Problem with Stormwater Runoff

St. Johns County is one of the fastest growing areas in the country. With that growth comes an added burden on our water supply and recreational waterways. St. Johns County residents must do their part to ensure that our area’s growth does not result in contaminating our precious and fragile environment.

A major contributor to contamination of our waterways is polluted stormwater. Stormwater is pure rainwater plus anything the rain carries along with it. In urban areas, rain that falls on the roof of your house, or collects on paved areas like driveways and roads, is carried away through a system of pipes or ditches. The stormwater flows directly from streets and gutters into our rivers, lakes and coastal waters. Straight from your street to waterways inhabited by fish, frogs and other aquatic animals and plants.

When polluted stormwater reaches our waterways, it has many long-lasting negative effects on aquatic plant and animal life. This pollution also impacts other species that use the water, aquatic plants and/or animals. This includes humans.

Some of the potential effects are:

• Sediment and other debris clog fish gills, damage fish habitat, and block light needed for aquatic plants to survive.
• Stormwater picks up debris and plastic that can harm marine life.
• Shellfish become contaminated and inedible.
• Plant nutrients such as fertilizer can cause an over-abundance of aquatic vegetation, and cause harm to other aquatic life.
• A build-up of sediment can disrupt the regular flow of the water and increase the chances of flooding.

If we do not stop the pollution, one of our most valuable resources – our recreational water – will be lost forever. Please remember, ditches and storm drains are not connected to the sewer system. They flow directly into streams, lakes, rivers, estuaries, bays, and the ocean. This means that stormwater is not cleaned or decontaminated before it flows into our waterways. Whatever you put in ditches, street drains, and even your lawn, goes directly into our recreational waters whenever there is a significant rain. We must all take responsibility for keeping pollutants out of St. Johns County’s waters.

Types of Stormwater Pollution

There are three main types of stormwater pollution:

• Litter, such as cigarette butts, cans, paper or plastic bags.
• Chemical pollution, such as detergents, oil or fertilizers.
• Natural pollution, such as leaves, lawn and garden clippings, or animal droppings.

This pollution ends up discharging into waterways as sediment, sludge and solids. These can sometimes be removed by pollution traps and ponds, but the most effective way to reduce this problem is to prevent pollution entering the stormwater system in the first place. The traps do not catch all the silt or litter, and they do not stop chemical pollutants at all.