The Road Commission
is a Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System Agency (MS4). We are one of several
MS4 agencies responsible for managing storm sewers in Ottawa County. Storm
sewers, which collect and move polluted storm water,
affect water quality throughout the County. Our extensive and beautiful fresh
water resources are important to residents and visitors alike. Taking care of our
water resources is essential to all of us.
What
is a Storm Water System?
Storm
water is runoff, such as rain and melted snow, from roads, sidewalks,
driveways, parking lots, and other surfaces that prevent runoff from soaking
into the ground. This polluted water is carried through a Storm Water System, using
street drains, and leads directly into our freshwater. This water does not go
through a treatment process like wastewater, so it directly flows into our
lakes, rivers, and streams from streets and driveways. Any contaminants in the
storm water can have an affect on the fish populations and other ecological
processes in our freshwater system.
Since the Road Commission maintains roadside drainage
systems, including ditches and storm drains, we share storm water management
responsibilities with other agencies and communities in Ottawa County.
What
does the Road Commission do to help keep our water clean?
In addition to
maintaining its Storm Sewer System, by keeping the water flowing and reducing
contaminates, the Road Commission has utilized other strategies and methods to
reduce possible pollutants from entering our freshwater resources.
While the
affects of salt and or other road treatments on the environment have not been
specifically established, there have been concerns about their effect on bodies
of freshwater. Concerns have also been raised about the affect of road salt on agriculture
when salt in storm water was shed off the road and into water and soil. To help
reduce salt usage and establish best practices, the Road Commission in 2004
developed its Salt Management Plan working with other interested local agencies.
This plan helped the Road Commission
develop goals and strategies for minimizing salt usage,
such as determining when, where, and how much salt to use in achieving the
plan's goals. In implementing this plan, the Road Commission must
carefully balance our public safety mission and our environmental stewardship
responsibilities.
The Road
Commission works hard to keep the County Storm Sewer System well maintained and
operational, while reducing contaminates into the water system.
What
can Residents Do?
The Road
Commission isn’t the only responsible party in the Storm Sewer System. Much of
the storm water runoff comes from roofs and driveways of private residences.
There are best management practices that you can put in place to help reduce
your impact.
Just like
the Road Commission monitors and manages its salt usage, we urge residents to
do the same. Always make sure you shovel first and salt second. Salt is much
more effective on a thin surface of ice rather than a foot of snow, so it will
take much less salt to do the job. By minimizing your salt usage, you can help
reduce the amount that goes into our lakes and rivers. Remember that any excess
salt on your driveway and sidewalk will likely get washed into the Storm Sewer
System when the snow melts.
Another
practice to consider is making sure you pile your snow on the grass and not on
the driveway or sidewalk. By placing it on the grass the melting snow can get
absorbed by the ground and not become storm water runoff.
Lastly,
always make sure to keep street drains clear. Leaves, sticks, litter, or any
other debris can clog street drains, which can not only contribute to neighborhood
flooding, but also increase pollutants in storm water. By keeping these drains clear
the runoff water can flow freely and there will be less contaminants added to
our fresh water system.
Several
watershed groups are also working in Ottawa County to reduce the impact of
polluted storm water on our water resources. You can learn more about the Lower
Grand River Watershed (LGROW), the effects of storm water, and best management
practices by visiting www.lgrow.org. Learn
more about the Lake Macatawa Watershed on the Macatawa Area Coordinating
Council Website: www.the-macc.org. The Road Commission works to manage the
Storm Sewer System as best as possible, and we hope residents will join us to
help keep our freshwater clean and healthy.
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Most people don’t always associate winter with pothole
season, but periods of thaw and freeze are the perfect recipe for potholes. The
process for creating a pothole begins when water (usually from rain or melted snow)
permeates the pavement surface, sometimes through cracks in the pavement. This
water saturates the road base and ground below the road pavement. When we have
a freeze, the water expands. This is called “frost heave”. Then, when we have a
thaw, the water retracts, leaving a pocket of air underneath the pavement. Now
the weakened pavement is likely to crumble under the weight of cars driving
over it.
The creation of potholes is
unavoidable, especially with our typical winter weather creating perfect
conditions for potholes to form. The Road Commission tries to respond to
potholes in as timely a manner as possible. Remember to be careful driving over
potholes, as they can potentially cause a lot of damage to vehicles. You can
report potholes on our website using the service request form: http://www.ottawacorc.com/contact/service-requests/ or by calling our
office (616-842-5400).
1936
was one of the worst blizzards to hit the Lakeshore in Michigan. News reports
from the time say that cities, such as Muskegon and Grand Haven, were stranded
for days, with no one able to come in or out. A report from a Ludington newspaper
says that there were two blizzards that hit Michigan back to back. There isn’t
a record of exactly how much snow fell, but from the pictures of US-31 at this
time, it was a lot! Interestingly,1936 was the year Michigan has seen some of
its most extreme weather. Not only were we hit with one of our worst blizzards,
the summer of 1936 contains some of the record hottest temperatures recorded in
the State.
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Important Dates:
Thursday- Feb. 1, 2018- 9 a.m. Board Meeting
Thursday- Feb. 15, 2018- 9 a.m. Board Meeting
View Board Meeting Minutes and Agendas
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