Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska -- The environment is being polluted in many ways, but one very preventable way is through storm water pollution prevention. Storm water is untreated runoff that leads into coastal areas by means of Ship Creek or directly into the Knik Arm of Cook Inlet.
“[Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson] has signed a permit with the state of Alaska to protect the environment, and all of our storm drains enter Ship Creek and lead to the Knik Arm,” said Air Force Col. Scott Matthews, 673 Civil Engineer Group commander. “Any toxins that flow directly there can harm wildlife, and that violates our permit.”
Local schools hosted a competition for children to design a message for storm drains against pollution. The winning design was an octopus behind bars with the words “Please don’t pollute! Leads to ocean,” by 11-year-old Kerbi Flood. Flood said when she got the assignment, her first thought was her favorite sea animal, a squid, but she decided to draw an octopus instead.
With four stencils, this design will be distributed to more than 1,600 storm drains to remind the community storm water drains into the ocean.
There are several ways to help prevent pollution. The best way to minimize storm water runoff pollution is to properly handle anything potentially harmful to the environment by recycling, reusing, and disposing of garbage at local landfills.
Though it may seem harmless, lawn clippings, leaves and other yard debris left on the street, in a storm drain and even a ditch could cause problems for local waters. When it rains, congested ditches could flood the streets and potentially clog storm drains with debris, polluting water. To avoid this, lawn clippings can be reused as fertilizers, and leaves and other debris can be disposed of at a community compost.