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
