Water Pollution Prevention

The Montgomery County Water Quality Ordinance, Chapter 19 of the Montgomery County Code, establishes regulations governing the discharge of pollutants to surface and ground waters. The regulations are in Article IV, Water Quality Control.

County Code on Preventing Water Pollution

This excerpt from the County Code outlines prohibited water pollution actions:

1. A person must not discharge, or cause to flow from a storage system or other container, any pollutant into waters of the state in the County except in concentrations or quantities explicitly authorized by an approved National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System discharge permit or by a plan for compliance, or that are consistent with the utilization of approved best management practices.
2. A person must not connect any apparatus discharging any pollutant, in any quantity, to any part of the waters of the state in the County except as explicitly authorized by an approved National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System discharge permit or by a plan for compliance, or as results from approved best management practices.
3. A person must not improperly store, handle, or apply any pollutant in a manner that will cause its exposure to rainfall or runoff and discharge as point source or nonpoint source pollution into waters of the state in the County except in concentrations or quantities authorized by an approved National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System discharge permit or by a plan for compliance, or as results from approved best management practices. (1994 L.M.C., ch. 31, § 1.)

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Common Water Pollution Problems

The following are some of the causes of water pollution, along with ways to prevent them.

Yard Waste in and near County Streams

The illegal dumping of yard trim materials and other debris into local stream valleys is a serious problem in Montgomery County—and a crime.

Leaves and other yard waste clog storm drains and wash into local streams. Source: City of Longmont

Dumping yard waste into local water bodies causes water quality problems:

• Yard waste like leaves, grass, and brush dumped along stream banks suffocates and kills the plants whose roots and cover protect against stream bank erosion.
• Yard waste in a stream contributes a harmful overload of nutrients and robs the stream of the oxygen needed by fish and aquatic insects. These impacts degrade the quality of neighborhood streams and ultimately harm the Chesapeake Bay.

What you can do:

Dispose of yard waste properly. Before dumping yard trim, consider composting the organic material or using the County's recycling services. Visit the Division of Solid Waste Services Web site for information on County guidelines for disposing of yard trimmings or call 311.

Report dumping of yard waste near streams or in storm drains to DEP. Report illegal dumping and pollution, call 311, or email DEP at askdep@montgomerycountymd.gov.

Illegal dumping is a serious offense. Every case of illegal dumping is investigated. Illegal dumpers are subject to a minimum $500 civil fine and possible criminal prosecution.

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Discharges to Storm Drains

Water discharged to storm drains travels directly to local waterways.

It's important to remember that the storm drain system is separate from the sanitary sewer drain system that removes wastewater from sinks and toilets and delivers it to a wastewater treatment plant for safe processing. Storm drain inlets collect stormwater from many locations in a neighborhood, or along streets, and guide it through a series of pipes or open channels to a stormwater management pond or directly into a stream.

As rainwater hits the ground, especially paved surfaces, it collects a wide variety of pollutants—trash, dirt, automotive fluids, and other products spilled in the area. The mixture of water, sediments, and pollutants washed into storm drains can cause a toxic shock to waterways and the wildlife that inhabits them. Materials accidentally or deliberately added to the storm drain system can severely impair water quality and public health within minutes of being introduced.

What you can do:

Learn more about how you can prevent stormwater pollution.

Report discharges or dumping of waste into storm drains to DEP. Report illegal dumping and pollution, call 311, or email DEP at askdep@montgomerycountymd.gov. and possible criminal prosecution.

Illegal dumping is a serious offense. Every case of illegal dumping is investigated. Illegal dumpers are subject to a minimum $500 civil fine and possible criminal prosecution.

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Vehicle Wash Water

Vehicle wash water can harm the environment.

Washing vehicles and discharging wash water to the environment constitutes water pollution.

• Vehicle wash water contains oils, grease, metal (paint chips), brake dust, rust, detergents, cleaners, road salts, and other chemicals that can contaminate surface waters.
• Soaps can add ammonia, phenols, dyes, and acids to the mix. All soaps—even those labeled "biodegradable"—contain surfactants, which enable the cleaner to rinse off easily with water. Surfactants can be detrimental to surface waters because they reduce the dissolved oxygen concentration in the water. They can also destroy the external mucous layers of fish.

What you can do:

• If possible, wash your vehicle at a commercial carwash facility, where the wash water is discharged to the sanitary sewer system. Commercial businesses that wash vehicles, including portable vehicle-detailing operations, are prohibited from discharging wash water to the environment. The businesses are required to direct all wash water to the sanitary sewer or capture and contain it to be hauled off-site for proper disposal.
• Consider washing your vehicle on a porous surface, such as a lawn, where the wash water can soak into the soil, be treated by soil particles and microbes, and be filtered before it enters the groundwater.

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Swimming Pool Water Discharges

Even at extremely low levels, chlorine can be toxic to aquatic animals and plants. Storm drains are a direct conduit to nearby streams, and all streams in Montgomery County discharge to rivers that drain to the Chesapeake Bay.

For community pools in areas served by public sewer, pool water must be discharged to the public sewer and must not be discharged to a storm drain. For residential pools, backwash water must be discharged to the public sewer. If your only option in draining pool water is to discharge directly into the environment, the water being discharged must comply with the State of Maryland Water Quality Criteria, contained in the Code of Maryland Regulations (COMAR).

What you can do:

Use the following guidelines to deal with swimming pool discharges:

• Pool water must sit for at least 48 hours after the addition of chlorine, or until the chlorine level is below 0.1 milligrams/liter. Chlorine concentration should be tested using a standard pool chlorine test kit prior to discharge.
• The pH of the pool water must not be less than 6.5 or greater than 8.5 during discharge.
• The pool water must be free of algaecide at the time of discharge. Algaecide can severely affect normal algae and plant growth in streams.
• Total suspended solids, a measure of visible particulate suspended in solution, must be below 60 milligrams/liter. To achieve this level of clarity in pool water, allow suspended visible particulates to settle out of the water. In other words, the water should not look murky or cloudy. The material settled out should not be discharged with the water.
• If discharging to the environment is your only option, direct the flow onto the land surface because absorption into the ground offers some opportunity for chemical pollutants to react with subsurface soil, thereby filtering the water. Allow the discharge to flow slowly over the land surface to provide an opportunity to reduce water quality impacts. In addition, you must control the water flow across your property to avoid flooding, erosion, and a nuisance condition for neighboring properties.

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Automotive Fluids

As little as one quart of oil can contaminate 2 million gallons of water. So don't dump used oil or any other vehicle fluid into the County's storm drain system, which goes directly into the drinking water supply (local rivers).

Pouring used auto fluids like antifreeze and brake fluid into a storm drain or driving a car on top of a drain and letting fluids flow into the drain not only pollutes waterways—it's illegal. Violators will be prosecuted and fined up to $500 per incident.

What you can do:

Many auto care products end up in storm drains. Source: City of Round Rock, Texas

You can help reduce pollution from vehicle fluids by following a few common-sense guidelines:

• Place a pan or container under the oil pan, brake line, or other auto part on which you're performing maintenance or which is heavily leaking.
• Place pads, cardboard, newspaper, or kitty litter around the pan to catch spills and leaks.
• Recycle used oil and antifreeze at the County Transfer Station or a service station.
• Place lightly soiled (only) absorbent materials in the trash.
• Take used transmission, brake, or other automotive fluids and heavily soaked absorbent materials to the Transfer Station's Household Hazardous Waste Collection Area.

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Fats, Oil, and Grease (FOG)

Grease is a by-product of cooking. It comes from meat, fats, oils, shortening, butter, margarine, food scraps, sauces, and dairy products. When it's improperly handled, stored, or disposed of, waste cooking grease can cause significant water quality impacts.

DEP supports the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission's Fats, Oils, and Grease page, which has detailed information on the grease problem and how to prevent it.

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Report Water Pollution Concerns!

Report incidents of illegal dumping or storm drain pollution to DEP. If you have video or pictures of the water quality code violation, DEP would welcome the opportunity to review and use them.

Report illegal dumping and pollution, call 311, or email DEP at askdep@montgomerycountymd.gov.

Illegal dumping is a serious offense. Every case of illegal dumping is investigated. Illegal dumpers are subject to a minimum $500 civil fine and possible criminal prosecution.

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