| MUSKEGON CONSERVATION DISTRICT Your Local Resource for Natural Resources |
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| PROGRAMS Stormwater Forestry Groundwater Agriculture Education Stream Restoration Critical Dunes Native Landscaping WATERSHEDS Bear Creek & Lake White River / Lake Duck Creek Mona Lake Muskegon River Cedar Creek |
| RECYCLING! PUBLICATIONS Cooperator Agreement Seedling Catalog |
| Seedling Order Form |
| Natural Resource Assessment (Goals) |
| illi ci t di s c h ar g e h ot li n e |
| STORMWATER |
| Wha t is stor mwat er? Stor mwa ter, more com monl y kno wn as runof f, is wate r prod uced from rain, snow , or othe r preci pitati on that flows off our lawn s, stree ts, fields , and build ings to our local wate rway s. As this wate r mov es towa rd local strea ms, lakes , river s, and wetl ands it can colle ct debri s, lawn clippi ngs, oils, greas e, fertili zers, pesti cides , and othe r harm ful mate rials, whic h are then depo sits into wate r and ultim ately impa cting the healt h and quali ty of that wate r. Anyt hing that enter s a stor m sewe r syste m is disch arge d untre ated into the wate rbodi es we use for swim ming, fishin g, and provi ding drink ing wate r. As a mean s to help prot ect our local reso urces sever al muni cipali ties withi n Musk egon Cou nty requi red to parti cipat e in the Phas e II NPD ES stor m wate r regul ation s joine d toget her to form the Musk egon Area Stor mwa ter Com mitte e. This com mitte e is work ing to devel op sever al stor mwa ter initia tives inclu ding steps for pollu tion prev entio n, elimi natin g illicit disch arges , and com muni ty educ ation . |
| Polluted stormwater can have many adverse effects, including: |
| Sedim ent can cloud the water and make it difficu lt or impos sible for aquati c plants to grow. Sedim ent also can destro y aquati c habita ts and clog fish gills. |
| Excess nutrients can cause algal blooms. When algae die, they sink to the bottom and decompos e in a process that removes oxygen from the water. Fish and other aquatic organisms can't exist in water with low dissolved oxygen levels. |
| Bact eria and othe r path ogen s can wash into swi mmi ng area s and creat e healt h haza rds, ofte n maki ng beac h clos ures nece ssary . |
| Debri s, plasti c bags, six-pa ck rings, bottle s, and cigare tte butts wash ed into water bodie s can choke , suffoc ate, or disabl e aquati c life like ducks , fish, turtle s, and birds. |
| Household hazardous wastes like insecticide s, pesticides, paint, solvents, used motor oil, and other auto fluids can poison aquatic live. Land animals and people can become sick or die from eating diseased fish and shellfish or ingesting polluted water. |
| Pollu ted stor mwat er often affect s drink ing wate r sourc es. This, in turn, can affect huma n healt h and incre ase drink ing wate r treat ment costs. |
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| Illicit Discharge Hotline 231-767-1207 |
| If you know of any illicit (illega l) discha rges into local water ways please conta ct us via e-mai l or by leavin g a messa ge at (231)7 67-12 07. Shoul d the discha rge be an emerg ency that affects huma n health such as hazar dous mate rial or chem ical spill cont act 911 imm ediat ely. If you know of an illegal pipe conne ction to the storm sewer syste m (floor drain, sump pumps , swim ming pool overfl ow, etc.), you shoul d conta ct your local public works depart ment. Other discha rges such as pouri ng oil down storm drains , dumpi ng yard waste s into local water ways shoul d be report ed to your local public works office or can be given to the discha rge hotlin e. If you leave a messa ge or illicit discha rge infor matio n please reme mber to leave the locati on of the illicit discha rge, as well as your name and phone numb er. Perso nal infor matio n will only be used to conta ct you shoul d we need clarifi cation on discha rge locati on. All infor matio n will be confid ential. |
| Wh at is an illici t disc har ge? Any disch arge or relea se of a pollu tant into a local wate rway inclu ding drain s, cree ks, strea ms, river s, and lakes . The disch arge can be a direc t relea se from a pipe into the wate rway , or it can be an indir ect conn ectio n thro ugh the local stor m sew er syste m. Thus , illicit conn ectio ns inclu de thos e direc t conn ectio ns to the stor m wate r syste ms as well as thos e occu rren ces whe n indiv idual s kno wing ly and unkn owin gly dum p pollu tants into stor m drain s. Wh at is con side red a poll uta nt? Any harm ful mate rial ente ring the wate rway that may have a nega tive impa ct on wate r quali ty or its asso ciate d livin g orga nism s; inclu ding orga nic mate rial (leaf litter , grass clipp ings, pet wast e, cons truct ion site erosi on), indu strial che mica ls, hous ehol d haza rdou s wast e (ferti lizer s, herb icide s, vehi cle fluid s, hous ehol d clea ners) , and man y othe rs. |
| W hat is a sto rm se we r sys te m and a wa ste wa ter sys te m? Stor m wat er syst ems are net wor k of pip es and drai ns use d to mo ve stor m wat er run off fro m imp ervi ous / har d surf ace are as to loca l wat erw ays. The se syst ems are co mm onl y fou nd in urb aniz ed are as wh ere imp ervi ous surf ace s (ro ofs, roa ds, par king are as, side wal ks) are co mm on and stor m wat er can not ent er the gro und . The wat er flo ws to a stor m drai n. ent ers the net wor k of stor m wat er pip es, and the n rele ases the wat er to loca l wat erw ays untr eat ed. |
| Unli ke stor m sew ers, was te wat er syst ems is net wor k crea ted to mov e was te fro m hou seh olds , busi ness es, and indu stry to a com mon poin t for trea tme nt. This was te wat er is then trea ted by a was te wat er facil ity and rele ased bac k to loca l wat erw ays. |
| W hat is the pro ble m? Sinc e was te wat er and stor m wat er syst ems are sep arat e any mat eria l ent erin g a stor m sew er is rele ase d into our loc al rive r, stre ams , and lak es wit hou t trea tme nt. The se are the sam e wat erw ays we use for fishi ng, swi mm ing, boa ting , and to wit hdr aw drin kin g wat er fro m. |
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Formed in 1938, the Muskegon
Conservation District remains an
active participant in conservation of
natural resources
Conservation District remains an
active participant in conservation of
natural resources
The District works to integrate
sustainability into forest
management and preserve 957
acres in Muskegon County for
public use
sustainability into forest
management and preserve 957
acres in Muskegon County for
public use
Local volunteers help control exotic
species and restore urban
environments at the Muskegon
Lake Nature Preserve
species and restore urban
environments at the Muskegon
Lake Nature Preserve
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| The mission of the Muskegon Conservation District is serving, educating, and empowering our community for natural resource protection by providing site-specific technical assistance and information to landowners in all aspects of natural resource management. |
| This site and content are the property of the Muskegon Conservation District |
