STOPPING UP STORM DRAINS

STORM DRAINS ARE NOT FOR GRASS CLIPPINGS AND LEAVES

Grass clippings and leaves blown into the street during yard maintenance don't just disappear - they end up in the nearest creek.

How? When it rains, anything in the street washes into storm drains that lead to area creeks and rivers.

To report blocked inlets online, visit www.fortworthgov.org/tpw/ then click on "Storm Water", or call 817-392-8100.

WHY SHOULD YOU BE CONCERNED?

Organic matter such as grass and leaves can cause odors in neighborhood creeks and drainage problems that lead to flooding.

The storm water system is designed to drain rain and only rain, keeping large amounts of water from flooding homes and property during storms. Storm water is not cleaned or treated, so when storm drains are used as a dumping ground, the results can be disastrous - and smelly.

WHAT SHOULD YOU DO WITH THE CLIPPINGS?

*Blow grass clippings back onto the lawn, where they become a natural fertilizer.
*Rake or blow leaves into a compost pile, where they can decompose without odor.
*Bag clippings and leaves and set on the curb on your regular trash pickup day.

If lawn maintenance workers use leaf blowers on your yard, ask them not to blow grass clippings and leaves into the street or down storm drain inlets - those rectangular holes cut into street curbs.

For more information

FORT WORTH TRANSPORTATION AND PUBLIC WORKS