As a resident/homeowner, you can help to keep our water clean and safe by keeping common pollutants like pesticides, pet waste, grass clippings, and automotive fluids off the ground and out of stormwater. Adopt these healthy household habits and help protect lakes, streams, rivers, wetlands, and coastal waters.

Remember to share the habits with your neighbors! For additional information, click here.

Vehicle and Garage:

• Use a commercial car wash to minimize the amount of dirty, soapy water flowing into the storm drain and eventually into your local waterbody. How to Wash Your Car the Right Way
•  Recycle used oil and other automotive fluids at participating service stations. Don’t dump these chemicals down the storm drain or dispose of them in your trash.

 Lawn & Garden

• Use pesticides and fertilizers sparingly. When use is necessary, use these chemicals in the recommended amounts. Avoid application if the forecast calls for rain; otherwise, chemicals will be washed into your local stream.http://www.marc.org/Environment/Water-Resources/Landscaping-and-Lawn-Care/Lawn-Chemicals
• Select native plants and grasses that are drought and pest resistant. Native plants require less water, fertilizer, and pesticides. http://www.marc.org/Environment/Water-Resources/Landscaping-and-Lawn-Care/Native-Plants
• Sweep up yard debris, rather than hosing down areas. Compost or recycle yard waste when possible.
• Don’t overwater your lawn. Water during cool times of the day, and don’t let water run into the storm drain.
• Cover piles of dirt and mulch being used in landscaping projects to prevent these pollutants from blowing or washing off your yard and into local waterbodies. Vegetate bare spots in your yard to prevent soil erosion.

Home Repair & Improvement

• Before beginning an outdoor project, locate the nearest storm drains and protect them from debris and other materials.
• Sweep up and properly dispose of construction debris such as concrete and mortar.
• Use hazardous substances like paints, solvents, and cleaners in the smallest amounts possible, and follow the directions on the label. Clean up spills immediately, and dispose of the waste safely. Store substances properly to avoid leaks and spills.
• Purchase and use nontoxic, biodegradable, recycled, and recyclable products whenever possible.
• Reduce the amount of paved area and increase the amount of vegetated area in your yard. Use native plants in your landscaping to reduce the need for watering during dry periods. Consider directing downspouts away from paved surfaces onto lawns and other measures to increase infiltration and reduce polluted runoff. Consider installing a rain barrel to catch roof run off. http://www.marc.org/Environment/Water-Resources/Landscaping-and-Lawn-Care/Rain-Barrels

Pet Care

• When walking your pet, remember to pick up the waste and dispose of it properly. Flushing pet waste is the best disposal method. Leaving pet waste on the ground increases public health risks by allowing harmful bacteria and nutrients to wash into the storm drain and eventually into local waterbodies. http://www.marc.org/Environment/Water-Resources/Improving-Water-Quality/Pick-Up-After-Your-Pet

Swimming Pool & Spa

• Drain your swimming pool only when a test kit does not detect chlorine levels.
• Properly store pool and spa chemicals to prevent leaks and spills

Septic System Use & Maintenance

• Have your septic system inspected by a professional at least every 3 years , and have the septic tank pumped as necessary (usually every 3 to 5 years).
• Care for the septic system drainfield by not driving or parking vehicles on it. Plant only grass over and near the drainfield to avoid damage from roots.
• Flush responsibly. Flushing household chemicals like paint, pesticides, oil, and antifreeze can destroy the biological treatment taking place in the system. Other items, such as diapers, paper towels, and cat litter, can clog the septic system and potentially damage components.

Construction sites create potential for a variety of pollutants if not properly managed. Pollutants generated can affect the air, water, soil and noise quality for the surrounding community.

• Air Pollution: Construction activities create airborne contaminants such as soil and dust that can be carried away from the site by wind and vehicular activities. Some of the most common air pollutants generated by construction activities include dust, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), asbestos, and gases such as carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and nitrogen oxides.
• Water Pollution: Stormwater runoff from construction sites can pollute nearby surface and groundwater with harmful materials used in the construction work such as VOCs, paints, glues, diesel, oils, cement, and other toxic chemicals. These types of pollutants can have severe impacts to water quality both short and long term.
• Soil Pollution: Air and water pollutants can cause contamination of the adjacent soils when air particulates settle or polluted water infiltrates into the ground. Soil pollution also contributes to water pollution when sediment is allowed to runoff the site and be carried to downstream waterways.
• Noise Pollution: Loud construction equipment and activities can be a general disturbance to the community and can adversely affect human health by causing stress, sleep disturbance, high blood pressure and even hearing loss.

Erosion Control 

Implementing erosion control measures such as siltation basins, inlet protection, check dams, mulching, matting, or other temporary establishment measures significantly limits the potential for construction site runoff. Taking precautions when washing construction equipment and diverting waters through settling basins or filters before allowing the leave the site can also mitigate construction pollution. Air pollution can be mitigated by prohibiting or limiting the use of burning at the site to dispose of refuse and debris. Dust control measures such as sprinkling dry ground surface with water at regular intervals can also be used to limit the potential for airborne pollutants to leave the construction site. Limiting noise pollution can be achieved by implementing regular maintenance on equipment, or using machinery equipped with silencers or mufflers designed to operate with the least possible noise impact. 

 Proper implementation of a stormwater pollution prevention plan (SWPPP) significantly reduces the risk of pollution from land disturbance activities. City code 

Soil Erosion and Sediment Control Ordinance

 provides builders, developers and property owners with standards and regulations for development in the City of Grandview. To report any issues observed with construction site pollution control, please submit your comments via the Contact Us form on the website.

All businesses have potential to negatively impact our waterways, regardless of the type/nature of the business. Pollutants can come from a wide range of sources including vehicles, machinery, cleaning products, garbage, and toxic waste products. By implementing practices to reduce or eliminate chemical contaminants, business owners can eliminate the pollutants directly at the source while potentially reducing business operational costs and creating a healthier environment for its employees. One effective way to implement these best practices is through development of a pollution prevention plan to identify ways to:

• Use raw materials, water, and energy efficiently
• Reduce use of harsh chemicals by using less toxic substances
• Reduce or eliminate toxins generated from production processes

The most effective way to implement a pollution prevention plan is to evaluate business practices at all levels from day-to-day operations to regular maintenance and cleaning activities. Business owners and managers can take the following steps to to develop a pollution prevention plan and start reducing pollutants generated from their business:

1. Make a list of most frequently used chemicals and toxins and develop a plan to reduce their use.
2. Consider environmental impacts with the design of the design of products, buildings, and manufacturing systems. Identify ways to improve the efficiency of resources used in these processes.
3. Identify the most common waste products generated in daily operations and maintenance activities. Consider alternative standard procedures that help to eliminate wasteful practices to decrease the cost and causes of pollution.
4. Consider newer and more efficient equipment available that can lower overhead and operating costs while reducing the impact on the environment.
5. Take inventory of raw materials and evaluate the amount of excess material that is stored or discarded.
6. Consider how waste generated from business could potentially be re-used in other markets. Recycling waste products can potentially generate revenue while reducing pollutant sources.
7. Develop standard operating procedures for storage, use, and disposal of toxic materials.
8. Develop standard operating procedures to respond to leaks and spills that are likely to occur from day to day operations. General preparedness can reduce the spread and overall environmental impacts of hazardous spills.
9. Verify all outdoor materials are properly stored and covered, and are located away from storm drainage paths.

Informing employees and staff of everyday activities that can reduce your businesses pollution can also provide a significant positive impact on the environment. The following are suggestions on how employees can get involved in improving your business’s water quality impact:

1. Stay informed about the most frequently used chemicals and toxins as well as the types of pollution generated by your day-to-day work activities.
2. Stay informed on standard operating procedures for storage, use, and disposal of toxic materials.
3. Keep work area and facilities clean and sweep up debris.
4. Check trash and dumpsters for leaks and keep them away from drainage paths to storm drains or streams.
5. Use chemicals sparingly and away from drainage paths to storm drains or streams.
6. Recycle materials appropriately to reduce waste and save on disposal costs.

Keep staff informed on the City’s requirements as part of its MS4 permit, and the potential impact of their day to day activities on stormwater quality. Training material on the City’s stormwater system, the MS4 permit program, and the City’s responsibilities to prevent pollution of and reduce stormwater runoff is available here. 

Additionally, the City has developed a Facility Stormwater Runoff Plan 2025 Grandview Stormwater Management Plan for the Public Works Maintenance Facility, where the vast majority of its municipal operations are conducted including Parks and Recreation, Public Works, Community Development activities as well as fleet and building maintenance, construction material and equipment storage, and fueling for all municipal vehicles. The Manual also includes practices for municipal parks and parking lots, to reduce the amount of litter and sediment that might enter our waterways from these public spaces.