Keep Our Waterways Clean

Leaves and grass clippings that are dumped or stored near waterways or paved areas add to water pollution and clog storm drains causing flooding.

Here is what you can do about it:

Place raked leaves or lawn clippings in paper bags to be collected by the town.
Consider composting yard waste.
Keep paved areas and storm drains clear of leaves.
Keep bagged, piled and mulched leaves on natural soil, a few feet back from paved areas.
Ensure that your lawn service is properly disposing of yard waste.
Reduce excessive lawn chemical use and always follow manufacturer’s directions.

Las hojas y los recortes de césped que se tiran o almacenan cerca de vías fluviales o áreas pavimentadas se suman a la contaminación del agua y obstruyen los desagües pluviales causando inundaciones.

Esto es lo que puede hacer al respecto:

Coloque las hojas rastrilladas o los recortes de césped en bolsas de papel para que la ciudad los
recoja.
Considere la posibilidad de compostar los desechos del jardín.
Mantenga las áreas pavimentadas y los desagües pluviales libres de hojas.
Mantenga las hojas empaquetadas, apiladas y con mantillo en suelo natural, a unos pocos pies de
las áreas pavimentadas.
Asegúrese de que su servicio de jardinería esté eliminando correctamente los desechos del jardín.
Reduzca el uso excesivo de productos químicos para el césped y siga siempre las instrucciones del
fabricante.

Be sure not to drain chlorinated water into the storm drain, or it will end up in our rivers, lakes, and streams! Instead, wait for chlorine levels to drop before discharging slowly onto your lawn. (Pool water should be close to neutral (pH 6.5-8.5), and chlorine less than 0.01 mg/L).

Protect Clean Water, Wildlife, Pollinators and YOU: Avoid Pesticides!

Clean Water Tip Punta de Agua Limpia

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

What is Stormwater Pollution? Water that falls from the sky or melts from snow carries polluting chemicals back to our ponds, streams, and parks

.

Why do we care? The chemicals and trash carried by stormwater contaminates the waters of our city, and in turn is harmful to the people of Melrose and the wildlife living here.

swans nesting on pond

What can we do? Everyone from business owners to residents in Melrose can prevent the pollution of our city in a few simple ways given at the bottom this webpage.

ell pond

Doesn’t stormwater get treatment? One of the MOST important things to understand about stormwater is that it is not mixed with sanitary sewer water (wastewater). Wastewater travels from our homes or businesses to a treatment plant, but stormwater drains directly back to our own city’s land and water, including Ell Pond. Most stormwater pollution does not receive any treatment and flows directly back to our city’s waters!

Sewer

Wastewater travels to Deer Island (pictured here) to remove pollution.

Versus Drainage

Stormwater carried any pollution directly back to bodies of water such as Ell Pond

Every resident of Melrose plays a part in the health of our public waters, and the wildlife and recreation that they support.

Here is a map of where stormwater from your home dispenses pollution. (Check out this interactive link that can show where water from your address goes!!)

map of city map key

What Residents Can Do

We need every resident to do their part to reach our goal of clean healthy waterways. The following tips will help you prevent stormwater pollution from your home.

Pet Waste Belongs in the Trash!

You hate stepping in it. And fish hate swimming in it, too! When you walk your dog, make sure to carry a plastic bag with you so that you can pick up the waste and dispose of it properly. Flushing is the best disposal method (don’t flush the plastic bag), but you can also throw it in a trash can. Some towns will fine you if they catch you leaving it in public areas! Do your "doody" in both public areas and in your yard.

Yard Waste

In the spring, bag your grass clippings for curbside pickup. In the fall, do it again with your leaves. Even better, compost them to make a natural fertilizer for your garden. But whatever you do, don't dump them in a brook or storm drain, and don't leave them on the sidewalk! Learn more from the Mystic River Watershed Association. mysticriver.org/pollution

Lawn Chemicals and Fertilizer

Test your soil and read the label before you apply fertilizer. If you use too much fertilizer, the excess will just wash away in the next rain, polluting your local waterways. Use fertilizers sparingly and sweep up driveways, sidewalks and walkways. You may not even need to fertilize your yard! According to experts, most homeowners over-fertilize their lawns. The University of Massachusetts has a handy guide on how to test your soil to see if you need to fertilize.

Lawn Watering

A lawn needs just one inch of water per week to be green. If you are watering more than that, a lot of that water is running off into the nearest waterway, taking your fertilizer, seeds, and hard earned money right along with it. Adjust your sprinklers so they don't water the driveway or sidewalk. Even better, use drip irrigation or soaker hoses.

Household Chemicals

If you stop to think about it, your home is full of chemicals, such as cleaners, medicines, pesticides, weed and bug killers, and old paint, just to name a few. When you're cleaning out the garage, it might be tempting to pour those chemicals down the toilet, the sink or the storm drain, but don't! The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection has created a website where you can find a household hazardous waste disposal facility that is convenient to you. Melrose also sponsors drop-off days for household hazardous waste. Details can be found here.

Car Care

It matters how and where you take care of your car. When you are working on your car, take care to catch your used fluids in safe containers that you can take to a recycling center. Never dispose of these chemicals down a storm drain. If you spill anything, mop it up quickly. It's best to take your car to a professional car wash. They have special equipment to treat all the dirty water they produce. If you wash your car at home, it's best to park your car on the grass, first, rather than leave it on the driveway where the soap and pollutants typically wash out to the street.

Soak Up the Rain!

Rainwater won't become stormwater pollution if you keep it on your property! You can do that by connecting rain barrels to your gutters, and using the water they capture in your lawn or garden later. If you are renovating, consider a rain garden or modern "pervious" pavers that allow water to soak through into the soil below. You can learn more about all these techniques by reading this fact sheet from the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission.

What Businesses Can Do

Businesses, institutions, churches, and hospitals can all do their part to keep Massachusetts' waterways clean. See below for tips to prevent stormwater pollution from your parking lots, grounds, and operations.

Waste and Material Storage

If rain falls into your dumpsters or on your raw materials, then it's carrying some of that stuff with it as it drains away. A little good housekeeping and a few sheds or tin roofs can take care of that problem. Property managers should inspect dumpsters regularly and only store chemicals outside with tight-fitting lids. For more tips like these, check out this handy brochure from the Bureau of Water Supply Protection at the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation.

Parking Lots

Businesses, churches, hospitals, and other institutions can do a lot to reduce polluted runoff from their parking lots. One solution is to replace asphalt with modern "permeable" pavements that allow rain and melting snow to soak in rather than run off. Another is to design parking lots to drain into rain gardens, infiltration basins, filter strips, and stormwater ponds, rather than directly into the storm sewer system. You can learn more about these techniques by reading this fact sheet from the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission.

Snow and Ice Removal

When businesses, churches, and hospitals use road salt and de-icers, melting snow carries those chemicals into waterways. Businesses should store these chemicals carefully and apply them sparingly. When purchasing, read the labels on de-icing products and choose those that are not toxic to animals and plants. The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection has some guidelines on where and how businesses and local governments should store road salt, to protect our waterways.

Outdoor Cleaning

Grounds crews should sweep sidewalks, loading docks, and parking lots and dispose of the trash and debris in the dumpster, rather than washing these areas with a hose. If outdoor washing is necessary, look for environmentally friendly, water-based cleaning products. Maintenance crews should rinse paint cans, brushes, buckets, or other cleaning materials in an indoor sink. For a great example of operational procedures, check out the Town of Sudbury's Clean Water Best Practices manual.

Landscaping Chemicals and Fertilizer

Groundskeepers should test soil and read the label before applying fertilizer. If they use too much fertilizer, the excess will just wash away in the next rain, polluting local waterways. Use fertilizers sparingly and sweep up driveways, sidewalks, and walkways. Fertilizer may not even be necessary! According to experts, many businesses over-fertilize their landscaping. The University of Massachusetts has a handy guide for testing soil to determine if it can absorb any more nutrients.

Irrigation

Most businesses only need to water their landscaping once a week. It's smart to put sprinklers on timers so they water early in the morning, and point them so that they don’t water the sidewalk or driveways. If your businesses has stormwater ponds, cisterns, or rain barrels that capture rain before it leaves your property, using that water on your landscaping often makes a lot of sense. The Metropolitan Area Planning Council includes a chapter about business reuse of water in its guide Once is Not Enough: A Guide to Water Reuse in Massachusetts

Fleet Care

Many institutions maintain fleets of trucks, buses, ambulances, and other vehicles on site. Do this carefully to keep gasoline, oil, and soap suds out of storm drains and waterways. Vehicle maintenance should be done indoors, using drop cloths and drip pans. If there is a spill, clean it up promptly using absorbent sand and kitty litter. The Massachusetts Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs has published guidelines on fleet maintenance for municipal governments. It's good advice for businesses, churches, hospitals, and other institutions, too!

https://www.thinkbluemassachusetts.org/for-businesses

What Developers Can Do

Stormwater pollution often begins at construction sites, but it doesn't have to. See below for tips that developers can take to keep Massachusetts waterways clean.

Get Your Permit

Many kinds of construction sites are required by federal law to take steps to prevent stormwater pollution -- and permit requirements in Massachusetts are changing. Check with the Melrose Conservation Commission before you disturb the soil. Learn more about the stormwater permits from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. See also Massachusetts Stormwater Handbook & Stormwater Standards for more practices to manage stormwater on your site.

Low Impact Development Practices

Low Impact Development (LID) practices protect and use the land’s natural features as a way to filter and slow the flow of stormwater. These practices manage stormwater at its source and protect natural areas, too. They can also save developers money by minimizing the need to add infrastructure like streets and gutters. Examples of LID practices include:

Permeable pavement, such as pavers and crushed stone, can be used in place of asphalt and concrete to pave surfaces. These materials allow rain and snow to soak into the ground instead of flowing into storm drains. They are often used for parking lots, driveways, and sidewalks.
Bioretention areas (also known as rain gardens) are shallow depressions in the landscape that collect water that runs off from hard surfaces. These areas are planted with grasses and flowering plants that help filter the water as it soaks into the ground. They are often placed in parking lot islands or street medians.
Vegetated filter strips are broad, gently sloping areas of grass or plants that trap, filter, and slow stormwater runoff. They are often located by roads, parking lots, and driveways.

You can learn more about LID practices in this Massachusetts Low Impact Development Toolkit.

Pre-Construction Planning

A little planning ahead of time can go a long way to prevent stormwater pollution. Begin by choosing your site carefully. Place storage and maintenance areas far away from storm drains and waterways. Make sure that everyone working on-site knows their roles in carrying out your Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan, if you are required to have one. For more useful tips, see General Construction and Site Supervision Stormwater Tips, published by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation.

^{Erosion & Sediment Control}

It’s important that you pick a combination of erosion and sediment controls that work for your site. This includes practices that protect natural landscape features, like streams and wetlands, and stabilize soil. You will also need to put practices in place to protect and maintain silt fences, storm drain inlets, and construction entrances.

Site Maintenance

A little good housekeeping can keep polluted runoff from ending up in nearby waterways. Sweep often, keep dumpsters covered, and remove trash daily. Store construction materials under a tarp or a plastic sheet to protect them from rain and snow. Clean up small spills immediately using absorbent materials, like sand. More cleaning and maintenance tips can be found in General Construction and Site Supervision Stormwater Tips, published by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation.

https://www.thinkbluemassachusetts.org/for-construction

Thank you for visiting the City of Melrose’s Stormwater outreach website. If you have any further questions, please contact us in the Engineering Division at 781-979-4172.

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