Salt water pools or pools containing harmful chemicals or algaecides should NOT be discharged into stormwater drainage systems under any circumstances. Provided that the pool does not contain harmful compounds, take the following steps prior to discharging your pool water.
- Dechlorinate pool, spa or fountain water prior to the planned discharge. Generally, not chlorinating the pool for five days or more allows pool water to dechlorinate naturally.
After de-chlorination, discharge pool water via a hose, allowing water to flow over your lawn and yard. This reduces the amount and slows the rate of pool water entering the storm drain.
Although dead leaves and grass clippings are natural, they can cause flooding and negatively impact aquatic ecosystems after improper disposal.
Leaf litter or grass clippings can clog a storm drain, preventing water from running off roads or away from our homes, causing hazardous road conditions and flooding.
Additionally, leaves and grass can carry nutrients (usually from fertilizer) with them into storm drains. Excess nutrients generally promote unhealthy algal (algae) and plant growth. This growth reduces the oxygen available in the water for fish and plants.
Please use one of the following methods to ensure proper disposal of leaves, grass clippings and general vegetative debris:
- Bag it
- Compost it
- Leave it
Don’t dump or blow vegetative debris into our stormwater drainage systems!
Fayette County is responsible for maintaining stormwater drainage structures located within their public right-of-way and on county property.
The public right-of-way of way is land alongside a road reserved for transportation purposes.
The county reserves this land to ensure maintenance of our roads and the stormwater drainage structures underneath them.
Right-of-way varies by road. For example, a 50 foot right-of-way starts from the road’s center line and extends 25 feet in each direction, perpendicular to that center line.
Fayette County does not maintain stormwater drainage structures outside the public right-of-way.
Never dump anything into a stormwater drainage system! This graphic shows common pollutant discharges in residential areas as well as ways to prevent them.
If you want to know more about how to prevent these common household pollutants, try clicking the associated images.
Make a difference, share this graphic! The more you know, the less you pollute. Learn more about stormwater pollution to become the “solution to pollution”.
think you see an illicit discharge, let us know! It is better to report than not report if you are unsure. This graphic shows common types of illegal (illicit) and legal (exempt) discharges.
For more detailed information on exempt discharges in Fayette County, read the section below.
Fayette County’s Illicit Discharge and Illegal Connection Regulation (Article XIII in Chapter 104 of our Development Regulation Ordinance) states that the following types of discharge are exempt (or legal):
- Water line flushing performed by a government agency, other potable water sources, landscape irrigation or lawn watering, diverted stream flows, rising groundwater, groundwater infiltration to storm drains, uncontaminated pumped groundwater, foundation or footing drains (not including active groundwater dewatering systems), crawl space pumps, air conditioning condensation, springs, natural riparian habitat or wetland flows, and any other water source not containing pollutants;
- Discharges or flows from firefighting, and other discharges specified in writing by the county stormwater management and/or environmental health departments as being necessary to protect public health and safety;
- Non-stormwater discharges permitted under an NPDES permit or order issued to the discharger and administered under the authority of the state and the federal environmental protection agency, provided that the discharger is in full compliance with all requirements of the permit, waiver, or orders and other applicable laws and regulations; written approval has been granted for any discharge to the county's MS4 and/or state waters; and
- Agricultural operations as defined in section 104-266(5) of the County's soil Erosion, Sedimentation and Pollution Control ordinance.