Enter to win one of our waterway-friendly prizes here!
From September 22 to September 28, askHRgreen.org is celebrating Stormwater Awareness Week with a giveaway for you! All week long, you can enter to win one of five waterway-friendly prizes when you subscribe (or confirm your subscription) to the askHRgreen.org newsletter using the special entry form. Opportunities for bonus entries will also be given daily on Facebook and Instagram. Our prizes have a total value of over $800 and include:
- Greenworks electric cordless lawn mower. Mow the grass without the emissions!
- Rain barrels – 2 winners! Retain your rain and use it for good.
- $100 gift card to Anderson’s Garden Center for all your fall planting needs.
- $200 car wash gift card to a location near you. Get a clean car without the dirty stormwater!
Stormwater is rainwater that runs off our hard surfaces like roofs, roadways, sidewalks, and driveways. This stormwater picks up pollution on its way to the storm drain and carries that pollution out to local rivers where it can harm aquatic life. Simple changes to your daily actions can make a difference in protecting our local waterways. What could be more important in a region defined by water? Here’s what’s good to know and good to do for Stormwater Awareness Week:
- Did you know? Storm drains flow to waterways without any additional treatment. It’s a common misconception that storm drains lead to treatment plants like the drains from our homes. The fact is, storm drains carry what happens on land right out to waterways.
- That pond in your neighborhood is not just a pond. Chances are it’s a best management practice (called a BMP) and it’s one way your city or county helps manage the stormwater runoff created from roadways, sidewalks, driveways, and roofs. The pond stores stormwater runoff during peak flows, reduces street flooding, and helps remove some pollutants and sediment.
- If you live on the water, your stormwater runoff has a direct impact on local water quality. Be a good steward of our waterways by protecting natural buffer areas of trees and shrubs and limiting development along the water’s edge. Your waterfront property may even require a CBPA permit for any home and yard improvements. The Chesapeake Bay Preservation Act (CBPA) requires cities and counties to balance development and water quality along our waterways…even on private property.
- Pavement = Pollution. As rainwater flows across paved surfaces, it will pick up dirt, litter, oil, fertilizer, and anything else it meets along the way. These pollutants will end up in our waterways and hurt local water quality. There’s a better way! Retain your rain at home as best you can by limiting hard surfaces, reducing runoff with rain barrels, directing downspouts to grassy areas, or considering permeable alternatives to sidewalks and driveways.
- Dog owners, you gotta scoop the poop. And yes, that includes in your own backyard. Most dog owners know it’s rude to leave their pup’s “gifts” behind while visiting a public park or walking the neighborhood. But many don’t realize pet waste is full of bacteria and nutrients which contributes to water pollution. And that’s why it’s essential to scoop the poop, even in your own back yard. No one wants pet waste draining into the waterways where we fish and swim, ick!
- Fall is the perfect time to plant a waterways-protecting tree. Trees help prevent dirt from being washed away during rainstorms and soak up rain as it falls. This means trees address both causes of stormwater pollution – the amount and quality of stormwater runoff. Plus a tree will boost your home’s curb appeal. If you have space at your home, consider planting a Hampton Roads native tree this fall!
- Storm drains are not trash cans. You can’t simply toss trash, yard waste, or hazardous chemicals down a storm drain and expect that it just disappears. Sadly, this is something we see all the time. Whatever enters a storm drain, enters our waterways. Please keep the curb line around your storm drains clear of dirt, grass clippings, leaves, and litter and never use the storm drain to dispose of paint, household chemicals, or oil.
Enter to win one of our waterway-friendly prizes here!
