When it comes to cleaning up the common waterways near your home, the number of options available for filtering out common pollutants from storm drainage systems in particular might surprise you. While spreading awareness throughout your community about how best to avoid contaminating storm drainage systems in general can go a long way toward reducing the toxins in your water, it should be noted that both individuals and municipalities can go even further when it comes to getting rid of the substances that can wreak havoc on an ecosystem.
For example, storm drainage filters are available for municipalities to install over the various storm drains in an area. These storm drainage filters can remove most of the automotive fluids, litter, and various other undesirable elements from a local runoff supply quite efficiently, although the cost for installation and regular maintenance can be prohibitive for some. However, if the placement of storm drainage filters on your local municipal storm drains is not financially feasible, there are plenty of things that private citizens can do in order to make a difference.
To begin, add a storm drainage filter to any drains you might have in your garage. This will help to prevent any leaking automotive fluids from making it to the local groundwater supply, and storm drainage filters installed over your rain gutter spouts can have a similarly positive effect as well. These filters that can be installed on individual buildings can go quite a long way towards improving the quality of the local waterways when adopted en masse, so let your neighbors know of how simple it is to clean up your local area easily and relatively cheaply. Away from your home, do your part to avoid storm drainage contamination by preventing spills as you fill your vehicle with gasoline or other fluids, throwing your litter away in a proper receptacle, and generally leaving an area as clean as you found it for best results!