Officials call for help in preventing stormwater pollution
Rene De La Cruz
VV Daily Press
11/16/2011
When residents fertilize their yards, paint their homes or clean out their horse corrals, it's easy to forget that those activities can impact the local water supply.
That’s the message officials with the Mojave River Watershed Group hope to drive home during their workshop Thursday in Apple Valley, as local cities discuss strategies for preventing storm water pollution in the Mojave River.
Surface water flowing anywhere around the communities of Victorville, Apple Valley and Hesperia finds its way to either open desert or the river.
The 40 inches of rain that reach the Mojave River each year percolate into the underground basin and get circulated through the aquifer before being pumped out through water wells and treated by local water agencies.
Even a small amount of improperly disposed chemicals that runoff water comes into contact with can contaminate drinking water and make waterways unsafe for people and wildlife, according to officials with the MRWG.
River water samples gathered through regular testing found dangerous toxins such as pesticides, fertilizers, pet waste and herbicides, MRWG officials said, with erosion and construction sediment the most common pollutant. And contaminated groundwater has the potential of destroying the desert ecosystem as it travels through the food chain.
Residents and businesses should use caution when handling chemicals, MRWG officials warn — especially businesses that revolve around construction, automotive repair, food service, landscaping, carpet cleaning and industrial or manufacturing.
