Additional Resources Take Action! -South Tahoe Refuse and Recycling Services Hazardous Waste Removal: The City of South Lake Tahoe can use www.southtahoerefuse.com/Hazardous_Waste.html Yard Waste Removal: your help in locating potential threats www.southtahoerefuse.com/Residential.html to our stormwater system. If you see -Lake Tahoe Best Management Practices anything that may compromise our www.tahoebmp.org stormwater such as sewage spills, -City of South Lake Tahoe Citizens Academy www.cityofslt.us/academy illegal connections to stormwater -Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) drains, or dumping of waste into www.trpa.org drains, PLEASE report these -Tahoe Resource Conservation District www.tahoercd.org/best-management-practices-bmps/ City of sightings or any other concerns to -South Tahoe Public Utility District our Stormwater Hotline at: http://www.stpud.us/water_conservation.html South Lake (530) 544-1910 Tahoe Spread the Word! “Nothing but rain water or snow melt STORMWATER Become a part of the City of South may be discharged into a storm drain. It is harmful and illegal to discharge MANAGEMENT Lake Tahoe Citizens Academy. The waste, wash water, cleaning fluids or other materials of any kind into the Academy provides an opportunity for PROGRAM storm drain system. ” members of the community to learn (City of South Lake Tahoe - Urban Runoff and Storm more about getting involved and Water Quality Management Ordinance, §35-7) helping to build a sustainable community. You will learn about the workings of local government as well City of South Lake Tahoe Stormwater Program as the services and programs of the 1052 Tata Ln. City of South Lake Tahoe. Use your South Lake Tahoe, CA 96150 knowledge to get involved and help Phone: (530) 542—6038 spread the word about keeping our Fax: (530) 542—2981 Public Information Brochure stormwater clean. Website: http://cityofslt.us/stormwater

6 Easy Ways You Can Keep Our Stormwater What is stormwater Aquatic life and plants can be poisoned by Clean runoff? hazardous waste in the water. Humans and wildlife can get sick from eating diseased Auto Care In a natural environment, most of the fish or shellfish or from ingesting polluted Repair leaks from your vehicle. Dispose of auto fluids and batteries properly. Take precipitation from rainfall and snowmelt water. Debris such as plastic bags, six-pack your car to a car wash that treats waste or soaks back into the ground and the rings, bottles, and cigarette butts can choke, try washing your car on your yard so that remainder flows over the surface. In a suffocate or entangle aquatic life such as rinse water stays on-site and returns into the ground. fish, birds, and aquatic mammals. developed environment , impervious Lawn Care surfaces such as rooftops, driveways, Lake Tahoe is a popular recreation area for Use pesticides, fertilizers sidewalks, and parking lots prevent the swimming, fishing, boating and many other and chemicals sparingly. water from returning to the ground and Compost or mulch yard activities. However, all of these activities are waste. Within city limits excess surface flow is created. This flow is threatened by polluted water. Even the South Tahoe Refuse will called stormwater runoff. This larger and lake’s clarity and natural beauty is at stake. Pet Waste pick up your unwanted faster flow leads directly into our streams, Lake Tahoe’s deep water transparency, as Pick up after your pet! yard waste for free. Never rivers, and lakes and takes with it Many popular trails dump yard waste into measured by the Secchi disk, has been storm drains. And do not sediment, trash, bacteria, viruses, animal and walkways in declining since measurement began in the South Lake Tahoe over water your lawn. waste, hazardous waste, oil, grease, and late 1960’s. Sediment, debris, chemicals and provide plastic bags anything else in its path. for waste pickup but other pollutants picked up by stormwater always bring your have all contributed to the decline in own just in case and Why is it a problem? transparency. always dispose of waste properly. Stormwater is untreated and flows directly into our local rivers, creeks and lakes. Landscaping What can you do to help? Install Best Management Practices (BMPs) to help Contaminants and pollutants in the water infiltrate rain and keep your sediment on-site. can be harmful to human health and There are simple steps you can take as a Examples include infiltration trenches, dry wells, residential homeowner or as a business and stabilized slopes. Protect piles of dirt and yard aquatic ecosystems. waste with compost, tarps or secured plastic owner that can help keep pollutants out of sheeting. our stormwater. A small contribution from Snow Removal and Storage In areas that receive snow removal, you can make a big difference in the paved driveways and parking pads cleanliness of our streams, rivers, and lakes. can prevent soil disturbance and transport of sediment. Store snow The cleanliness of our waterways is piles on flat well-vegetated areas everyone’s responsibility. Never dump and don’t dump snow down storm drains. anything down storm drains. Take pride in your community and do your part to protect Household Hazardous Waste Use safer alternatives to hazardous materials such as the health of our streams, rivers, and lakes. compost instead of chemical fertilizer, water-based instead of oil-based paint, etc. Only buy hazardous products in the quantity that you need. Use up the product entirely or dispose of any unused portions properly.