Clean Water

It’s Everybody’s Business

From a distance we might get the impression that our planet has an unlimited supply of clean water available to use.

In Kalamazoo County, it is hard to imagine that we could ever run out of fresh water..

Because 20% of our planet’s supply(90% of the US supply) is right here.

BUT looks ARE deceiving.The little blue sphere represents ALL the water on Earth.

(Diameter 860 miles=Salt Lake City to Topeka)

Of ALL water on Earth, only about 0.007% is economically available for human use.

That’s not much.

The SUPPLY of available water is DECREASING because of rainwater contamination.

Meanwhile,

DEMAND for available water is INCREASING

at the same time

the SUPPLY of available water is DECREASING.

For this reason, clean water is Kalamazoo County’s most valuable resource.

It will continue to become increasingly more valuable in the future.

And just like caring for any physical system, (car, body, house, etc) prevention is many more times more cost effective than treatment.

EPA studies show that up to 70% of all water pollution is caused by stormwater runoff.

Drains carry stormwater runoff

from our homes and businesses to our lakes and rivers.

Storm water = Rainwater + Pollution

The major pollutants are:

• Sediment• Hydrocarbons• Salt• Bacteria• Trash• Heat

The solution to the pollution of rainwater

is to not let rainwater

gather volume and speed.

This can easily be achieved by immediately capturing, filtering, cleaning and storing it as close as possible to where rain falls.

Be the Solution toStormwater Pollution

Water Quality 101

Stormwater:

S L O W It Down

Grey to Green

COOL and CLEAN!

Keep our Water

Low Impact Development (LID) is a powerful strategy that Kalamazoo County can use to keep our waters clean. There are lots of options to

choose from.

The GOAL ofLow Impact Development (LID)

is to recreate a site’s presettlement hydrology

by using designs that:

infiltrate, filter, store, evaporate, anddetain(Make bullets look like raindrops)stormwater runoff close to its source.

There are two kinds of Low Impact Development (LID):

Non Structural and Structural

Non-Structural LIDs

stop stormwater runoff before it leaves the site.

Structural LIDs

stop stormwater-related impacts after they occur.

Examples of Non-Structural LIDs

• Cluster development• Minimize soil compaction during construction• Minimize total disturbed area during construction• Protect natural flow pathways• Protect riparian buffers• Protect sensitive areas• Reduce impervious surfaces• Stormwater disconnection

Cluster development

Minimize soil compaction

Minimize total disturbed areas

Protect natural flow pathways

Protect riparian buffers

Protect sensitive areas

Reduce impervious surfaces

Stormwater disconnection

Examples of Structural LIDs

• Bioretention (Rain Gardens)

• Capture Reuse• Constructed Filter • Detention Basins• Infiltration Practices • Native Revegetation• Pervious Pavement with

Infiltration

• Planter Boxes• Riparian Buffer

Restoration • Soil Restoration• Vegetated Filter Strip • Vegetated Roof• Vegetated Swale • Water Quality Devices

Bioretention (Rain Gardens)

Capture Reuse

Constructed Filter

Detention Basins

Infiltration Practices

Native Revegetation

Pervious Pavement with Infiltration

Planter Boxes

Riparian Buffer Restoration

Soil Restoration

Vegetated Filter Strip

Vegetated Roof

Vegetated Swale

We otter work together

to plan for stormwater.

Stormwater Otter World