Protect Your Drains

Fort Bend MUD 162 wants to remind residents not to put items down a storm drain for several important reasons:

• Clogs and Flooding: Leaves and grass can block the natural flow of water in the storm drainage system, causing water to back up, which leads to localized flooding during rain events. This increases maintenance costs and efforts to clear clogged drains.

• Water Pollution: Storm drains do not treat water, instead they carry everything directly to local creeks, rivers, or lakes. When yard waste decomposes in the drainage system, it adds excess nutrients (like nitrogen and phosphorus) to waterways, promoting algae blooms that deplete oxygen, potentially killing fish and harming aquatic life.

• Transport of Harmful Chemicals: Grass and leaves may carry fertilizers, pesticides, or herbicides. When these enter storm drains, they flow untreated into waterways, contaminating the ecosystem and harming wildlife.

• Habitat for Pests and Maintenance Issues: Accumulated organic debris in storm drains can provide breeding grounds for insects and rodents, creating further urban health hazards, and contributing to increased maintenance needs.

• Legal Consequences: In some locations, sweeping or dumping leaves and grass into storm drains is a violation of municipal waste laws and may result in citations or fines.

A more eco-friendly approach is to compost leaves and grass or use community yard waste pickup services, rather than sending them down storm drains.

Please share with your neighbors and landscapers.