Storm drains and sewers are designed to collect rainwater and snow melt and direct them to our waterways without any treatment. However, when people dump paint and other chemicals down these drains, they are polluting our lakes, creeks, bays and oceans with harmful substances that can affect the health and survival of aquatic life and water quality.
Paints contain solid pigments, biodegradable substances and organic solvents that can have different impacts on the water. Solid pigments can increase the turbidity of water, making it muddy and cloudy, and clog the gills of fish, impairing their ability to breathe. Biodegradable substances can reduce the oxygen level in the water as they break down, making it difficult for fish and other organisms to survive. Organic solvents and compounds can introduce toxic metals such as lead, mercury, zinc and chromium into the water, which can contaminate the sediment and poison the food chain. These metals can also cause tumors to form in fish and other water organisms.
Other chemicals that people may dump down storm drains and sewers include pesticides, fertilizers, pool and spa water, power washing water and cleaning compounds. These chemicals can also have negative effects on the water, such as altering the pH, stimulating algae growth, killing beneficial bacteria and introducing pathogens.
Dumping paint and other chemicals down storm drains and sewers is not only harmful to the environment, but also illegal in most municipal jurisdictions. In Canada, there have been several cases of illegal dumping that made the news and resulted in fines or charges for the offenders. For example:
In September 2022, a homeowner in Coquitlam, BC was fined $500 and made to pay fees for a vacuum truck that was called to clean out a municipal catch basin near their house after they dumped paint down a storm drain. Click here to read the news story: $500 fine for dumping paint down Coquitlam storm drain – Tri-City News (tricitynews.com)
Business owners have also been caught illegally dumping paint into our waterways. In June 2013, a Toronto crew, painting road markings on city streets, were caught dumping excess paint into sewers. Click here to read the news story: Dumping paint down storm drain crosses the line: The Fixer | The Star Marking storm drains with a final warning via a permanent marker may be a good option for community involvement. Click here to read about a community taking matters into their own hands to protect their waterways, using stainless steel storm drain markers, from Almetek Industries.
Click here to read the news story: Almetek Industries Partners With Rotary Club of Lake Hopatcong For Storm Drain Marking Service Project – Almetek Industries, Inc.
