Fashion Statement
The workers at Thumpers restaurant above the Marina are sporting a new look these days. They were provided t-shirts to help support the Chesapeake Club’s spring/early summer campaign to remind people that April and May showers wash excess fertilizer from our area into the Chesapeake Bay where Blue Crabs have been rapidly disappearing. Landscapers and homeowners are being encouraged to skip the lawn fertilizer until fall ... the lunch you save may be your own! You can learn more about the Blue Crab preservation efforts at www.chesapeakeclub.org. As for the Thumpers team, they also will be using drink coasters that read: “save the crabs … then eat ‘em.”
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Community members should report
illegal storm drain dumping, usage
The Fort Monroe Environmental Division asks anyone who witnesses or knows about illicit discharges and/or illegal dumping into storm drains to report the incident immediately.
“Remember, our storm drains empty directly into the Chesapeake Bay, and it is everyone’s responsibility to help protect the environment,” advises Becky Holland, the installation’s Project Pride coordinator. “Illicit discharges and illegal dumping are not only bad for the environment, they are against the law.”
All reports of illegal dumping will be kept confidential, she emphasized.
What is an illicit discharge? The technical definition reads as follows: “Any discharge to the storm sewer system that is not composed entirely of storm water, except for (1) discharges allowed under Fort Monroe’s State permit or (2) water used for firefighting operations.”
If you see an end-pipe continuously flowing into a waterway or storm drain and it hasn’t rained lately, there’s a good chance that it’s an illicit discharge, Holland explained. Illicit discharges can result from failing septic systems or the illegal dumping of grass clippings, leaves, chemicals or trash.
An illicit connection is a pipe or hose leading to a storm sewer drain, which results in a non-storm water or contaminated discharge to the system. Illicit connections may be intentional or unintentional, but must be stopped, she said.
Why is this important?
Fort Monroe is dedicated to lessening the impact of its activities on the sensitive waters of the Chesapeake Bay. Storm drains flow directly into the bay without pre-treatment or filtration. For example, if someone is illegally dumping oil into the storm drain, it travels directly into Mill Creek or the Chesapeake Bay.
Environmentalists are concerned also about the many garden and lawn treatment products that make their way into the drainage system. Many of these chemicals are used in excess by consumers who don’t read the instructions or believe “more is better” when it comes to maintaining a great looking landscape. Holland encourages residents and others who maintain green spaces on the installation to use these products sparingly. And it is illegal to dump excess or unneeded lawn care products into the storm drains, she noted.
To report an incident or obtain additional information about storm drain restrictions, call 788-5364 or 2444.
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