Oil & Stormwater
By Jeff Odefey, Waterkeeper Alliance

It’s the everyday drips and drops that poison a watershed. We tend to react with outrage when thin-skinned oil tankers run aground on pristine beaches, coating miles of coastline with thick, toxic tar. But the impact of these isolated incidents pales in comparison to the water pollution caused by our routine use of oil and petroleum products. Because we drive cars filled with gasoline, oil and other petroleum products, and because all things flow, eventually, to the sea, our daily lives deliver more oil to the water than any other source.

Approximately half-a-million tons of oil each year are washed into our waters from driveways, streets, gas stations and parking lots. Rainfall and snowmelt carry these pollutants through storm sewers directly to our waters. The problem is compounded by unscrupulous individuals who dump used oil directly into stormdrains.

Across the U.S., the automobile reigns king. Coast to coast a silent stream of oil is taking a toll on our waterways:

San Francisco
California has long been known as the capital of America’s car culture. But the Golden State’s fascination with the automobile has placed an enormous cost on local waterways. The California Department of Transportation has estimated that each year 210,000 gallons of oil leak from cars onto state highways. Stormwater carries between 5 and 10 million pounds of oil and grease into San Francisco Bay each year.

Dallas
Texans generate approximately 25 million gallons of used motor oil each year. According to the State of Texas, more than 70 percent is disposed improperly, and used motor oil is one of the most prevalent pollutants found in Dallas creeks, lakes and the Trinity River.

Boston
In April of this year, Boston’s Mystic River received its first ever cleanliness grade: a D, as in dirty. While this result may finally draw some much needed attention and funding to cleaning up this historic waterway, it also highlights the problems that face urban watersheds.
Solutions

While the numbers from these communities, and many others across the nation, are alarming, there is reason for hope. Local governments and civic organizations have taken the initiative to spray paint labels on storm drains, advising people that these inlets lead straight to nearby rivers and streams, and encouraging them not to dump used oil or other pollutants. These efforts seem to work — dramatically increasing public awareness, and reducing the amount of used oil intentionally dumped in this fashion. Many states require auto parts shops and garages to accept used oil for recycling, keeping this valuable resource out of our waters and turning it into more sustainable product.

Municipal governments, large and small, are now required by federal regulations to create local programs to control and reduce stormwater pollution. These programs include measures that will reduce discharges of oil and grease. Some of these measures are as simple as good housekeeping: cleaning parking lots and material storage areas to prevent oil spills and developing spill response plans to cleanup accidental spills. Many are requiring that residential and industrial developers install landscape features or storm drain inserts that will capture oil before it flows into the storm sewer system and empties into our waters. Landscaping features such as greenbelts and wetlands capture and treat polluted runoff, offering both pollution treatment and aesthetic benefits. These small steps go a long way to stemming the flow of oil out of our waterways.