Snow Care for Stormwater

Stormwater is a year-round concern. Even when we are not experiencing torrential downpours or hurricane like weather conditions, when precipitation from the clouds falls to the ground stormwater and its treatment are a priority. As we enter into our winter season, here are a few winter stormwater practices to get us through our snowy weather.

• Avoid using Sodium Chloride (salt) as a Deicer!
  • Our waterways are extremely sensitive to its salt content. Our waterways are a freshwater system, sodium chloride can kill plants and impact aquatic wildlife. Salt in excess can also impact our infrastructure, it can break down concrete and accelerate the deterioration of our stormwater piping!
• Pile the Snow in a Pervious Area!
  • The melting of snow will have less impact on our waterways and height of the streams when it can infiltrate into the ground. Piling your snow in a pervious area will allow the snow melt to infiltrate into the ground.
• The Best Place to Pile!
  • When piling your snow on a pervious area, the ground underneath is only able to absorb so much water at a time. Rather than piling it all in one location in a tight, high pile, have the piles be long and low. When the pile covers more area, there is more ground cover to allow for infiltration of the snowmelt. The meltdown time of a smaller pile is much faster than a tall pile, so the length the pile will exist will be shorter.