It might be time for a little "Drainscaping"

carla6727
Sep 15
2 min read

Updated: Oct 7

The end of summer is coming with autumn in its wake.

Soon we’ll be dealing with rain, leaves, and mud.

A curbside street drain covered in leaf debris. Text: "It may be time for a little Drainscaping" "Clogged storm drains flood your street and home. Keep them free of debris." "Skagit Conservation District, City of Anacortes, City of Burlington, City of Mount Vernon, City of Sedro-Woolley, and Skagit County.

Storm drains can get clogged with fallen leaves, grass clippings, mulch, and even trash or other debris. When the drain gets clogged, that can mean street flooding.

As we’ve been saying for years, “It may be time for a little Drainscaping.”

(That means keeping leaves and things out of the streets and ditches.)

Leaves and debris that fall from trees along streams are an important part of the food web, because they are food for the insects, which are food for the birds and fish, and so on...

An illustration of a river flowing through a forest in the autumn. The leaves of trees and shrubs are shades of yellow and orange. Silhouettes of Geese and other birds flying in the background. A fish jumping out of the water tries to catch a dragonfly while a small bird flaps in the foreground with a worm in its mouth.

However, grass and leaves coming from yards and parking lots add too many extra nutrients to the water, which causes too much algae to grow, which takes away the oxygen in the water that fish and other aquatic life need to live.

An illustration of a river filled with piles of autumn leaves while fish struggle to swim through. text; "It's too much!"

A residential city street lined with autumn trees and shrubs. A young man in the street holds a leaf blower amid many flying leaves. text:" Keep leaves out of streets and ditches!"

We must keep leaves and grass out of the streets and ditches!

Put leaves as mulch on garden beds, into the compost bin, or mow them into your lawn, but always away from streets and ditches!

An illustration of a residential neighborhood with autumn leaved trees and shrubs. A tall boy is using a lawn mower to mulch leaves into the lawn. A man and a woman in the background are raking leaves into a recycle bin. In the foreground is a compost bin topped with autumn leaves.

Let's keep our water clean!

An illustration of a neighborhood with large colorful houses interspersed with trees and shrubs. A shrub-lined stream meanders through the neighborhood while a variety of children play on the sidewalk. Silhouettes of birds can be seen flying in the sky and a fish swims in the stream, while dragonflies visit nearby flowers. Text: "Thank you"

TIPS ON HOW TO KEEP STORM DRAINS CLEAN

Use a rake or pitchfork to clear limbs, leaves, and other debris from the drain. Don’t try to remove the grate. The best time to inspect the drain near your property is before a rainstorm. After the storm is over, maintain the openings well by clearing away any ice or other excess debris that has accumulated.

Take a moment to clean the storm drain inlets and ditches in your neighborhood. Make sure they are free of leaves, litter, and other debris that may inhibit proper drainage – particularly when rainy weather is headed your way.

Do not rake leaves, grass, or other organic refuse into the street or into a nearby ditch when doing yard work. These materials only end up blocking the drainage system. Furthermore, leaves and grass clippings reduce oxygen in the water (affecting fish) and add materials that would not otherwise get into the water system.

Do not clean driveways or sidewalks with a hose. Instead, sweep leaves, twigs, and grass clippings and place them in a compost pile or yard waste container. Otherwise, they may end up blocking the storm drainage system.

Do not dump trash or pollutants into ditches or drain inlets. Not only will these toxins clog the storm drain, they can severely damage local bodies of water.

If you inspect the drain and notice that there is debris or other objects under the grate that you cannot clear by yourself, contact the city and notify them that additional help is required.

When pollutants carried by stormwater enter the rivers and streams, they harm local water quality, public health, fish and wildlife, and recreation. Make sure garbage (including dog poop) is bagged and put in the trash can.