WATER QUALITY IMPROVEMENTS
Prepare for Rainy Season: Business Storm Preparedness Tips
The rainy season is here! This is an important reminder for business owners and operators of the measures they can take to prevent pollutants from leaving their properties and entering our streets and storm drains. Businesses play a key role in preventing pollution from rain events from entering our streets, storm drains, and ultimately our waterways. Stormwater runoff from business properties can carry large amounts of pollutants such as oil, solvents, trash, and more. Pollutants that are not responsibly contained or properly disposed of can easily flow untreated into our waterways via the storm drain system if we aren’t careful. This degrades our water quality, harms aquatic life, and poses a public health concern.
The County of San Diego reminds businesses that all sources of pollution are prohibited from leaving your property and entering streets or storm drains. Only rainwater is allowed in the streets and storm drains.
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Get Your Business Stormwater-Ready with These Tips
One of the most significant activities your business can do now to minimize the discharge of pollutants to the storm drain system brought about by these rains is to inspect and maintain key areas and pollution sources on your business property. Refer to the County of San Diego’s Inspect Your Business and General Pollution Prevention flyers for ongoing actions to protect our waterways throughout the year. Read on for tips on what your business can do now to be stormwater-ready.
General Inspection Tips: Inspect your business now, especially outdoor areas, for areas prone to trash build-up or spills, storage areas, and storm drain inlets. Conduct more frequent inspections prior to anticipated rain events.
- Inspect grounds (including fueling and parking areas) for trash, spills and accumulation of substances like oil, fuel, and grease. Clean them up immediately.
- Equipment or materials stored outdoors should be covered and bermed or elevated off the ground to avoid coming into contact with stormwater runoff.
- Clean the rooftops of your buildings to prevent build-up of debris that can wash into the streets or storm drains during rain.
- Inspect and maintain all stormwater structural controls such as catch basins, oil/water separators, sumps, berms, and secondary containment devices to ensure they are working properly.
Materials Management, Storage and Discharge
- Inspect outdoor storage areas to ensure they are secured and in good condition without any leaks.
- Keep materials, stockpiles, equipment storage areas, and hazardous waste covered (using overhead covers or tarps), bermed, and elevated. Protect them from stormwater runoff by using a temporary perimeter of sandbags, gravel bags, or straw barriers. Remove any accumulations of materials such as soils, fertilizer, or potting materials to prevent sediment from escaping.
- Have pet waste, manure containers, and storage areas emptied or picked up regularly to prevent overflowing.
Erosion & Runoff Prevention/Minimization
- Secure significant quantities of eroded soils and protect slopes to prevent soil and sediment from being washed by rains into our storm drain system.
- Have sandbags, gravel bags, hay bales, silt fences, and straw wattles handy for emergency waterproofing and erosion control.
- Re-route roof downspouts away from work areas and toward pervious areas such as landscapes or contained/designated discharge areas.
Storm Drain/Conveyance Clearing
- Clear vegetation, litter, debris, and built-up sediment around storm drains. Remove sediment deposits over 2 inches deep and deposits that cover vegetation. Also, trim overgrown vegetation.
Litter & Debris Maintenance and Disposal
- Sweep up dirt, leaves, and clippings on parking lots and paved areas. Remove trash from accumulating in areas near storm drain inlets.
- Secure lids on trash cans, dumpsters, and recycle bins to reduce “fly away” litter, prevent spills, and illegal dumping. Have recyclable and reusable materials emptied or picked up to prevent overflowing.
- Clean up debris around dumpster areas. If using a shared dumpster, work with others to keep the area clean and ensure that the lids are kept closed when not in use.
Landscaping & Irrigation Management
- Wait at least 48 hours before and after rain events before applying pesticides or fertilizers. Only apply insecticides more than 100 feet from water bodies.
- Inspect your facility for irrigation runoff and make irrigation repairs to prevent irrigation discharge to the storm drain.
- Modify the irrigation schedule and adjust sprinkler heads to prevent over-watering and runoff.
Employee Training
- If possible and time allows, provide an employee training refresher course to ensure employees know how to incorporate stormwater and pollution prevention into their daily routine. Review the County of San Diego’s Stormwater Awareness Training Video here.
- Mark storm inlets on a map and post it in a common work area to ensure your employees know where storm drain inlets are located.
The County of San Diego’s Watershed Protection Program thanks our business owners and operators for helping to protect our waterways this rainy season and throughout the year to ensure safe, healthy, and clean water quality for future generations! For even more industry-specific information on what businesses can do to prevent stormwater pollution, check out the County’s WPO Guidance Handbook to Reduce Water Pollution and visit our Educational Resources webpage and scroll down to our Industrial and Commercial Outreach flyers. Visit our partner Project Clean Water’s YouTube Video Webpage for a variety of Best Management Practices (BMP) videos to help your business prepare for the rainy season and prevent stormwater pollution.
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