WHY KEEP STORM DRAINS CLEAN?

Clean above means Clean Below! What drains is what we ultimately drink!

What is an Illicit Discharge?

DUMPING OF ANY KIND TO THE STORM DRAIN IS ILLEGAL!

Illicit discharge illustration

An illicit discharge is something in the storm sewer system that is not entirely storm water, and mostly occurs through human pollution, pet waste, etc. Illicit discharges greatly impact and pollute our surface and ground waters.

Catch basins in Rockland County do not lead to treatment plants, but instead lead directly to local waterways, therefore dumping will not ‘take away’ your problem, but will impact your health, your drinking water supply, and your local water recreation activities .

Examples of Illicit Discharges are sewage leaching in from leaky or overflowing septic systems, illicit sewer-line connections to the storm line, trash leaching to or inside the storm line, and dumping of any kind which most frequently includes motor oil, grease from commercial sites, household toxics, pet waste, and more. Should you see an Illicit Discharge, suspicious material or dumping to the storm drains, report it at once to your municipality.

Clogged storm drains from illicit dumping can cause local flooding onto your property. Contact the Rockland County Solid Waste Management Authority for disposal of all items not accepted by pick-up.

Pollutants from these Illicit Discharges seep into our drinking and recreation water sources:

Many soaps and detergents contain Phosphorus that wastewater treatment plants cannot remove . When washing your car or outside areas, direct wash water to your lawn to soak up the Phosphorus and filter out the pollutants .

Directing it to the driveway will drain it to catch basins, leading to excess nutrients and algae blooms in the receiving waters.

Thumbs down! Wash water will run to catch basin then pollute local waterways