Community Partners for Healthy Streams is a voluntary cooperative effort between Austell Public Works Stormwater Management and the local business community. The goal of the program is to promote and educate business practices that help protect local rivers and streams. We hope your business learns ways to prevent water pollution and save water by searching for a topic that you would like best management recommendations on and clicking to view the document online.
Why Be Concerned?
Studies conducted by the United States Environmental Protection Agency show that as much as 70% of all water pollution is caused by stormwater runoff. After a rain or snow melt event, water flows over roofs, parking lots, lawns, streets, and sidewalks. As the runoff flows over land, it picks up and carries a variety of pollutants including sediment, pesticides, fertilizers, pet waste, debris, oils, and greases from the landscape.
It is then routed into a storm drain that flows directly into a local waterway. Many people believe stormwater is treated at a sewage treatment plant prior to discharge, but this is not the case.
The most effective way to protect waterways in the City of Austell is to prevent pollution before it ends up in stormwater. The cost of preventing pollution is generally one-tenth to one-hundredth the cost of cleaning it up, so it is the best practice for both the environment and the economy.
Fact Sheets
Below is a collection of fact sheets that provide specific practices to protect water quality, save water and prevent pollution. They are geared towards commercial businesses, multi-family residential property owners and institutions. Search for a topic that you would like best management recommendations on and click to view the document online.
To discuss the details of this program further, contact our office at (770) 944-4325, option 4, or by e-mail to publicworks@austellga.gov.
Click on the links below to view the handbooks describing specific practices businesses can employ to protect water quality:
(Series 1) Housekeeping Practices
(Series 2) Maintaining Engineered Stormwater Controls
(Series 3) Maintaining Equipment and Vehicles
(Series 4) Maintaining Buildings and Pavement
(Series 5) Maintaining Landscapes
(Series 6) Site Design and Construction
(Series 7) Managing Wastes
(Series 8) Education
(Series 9) Fats, Oils and Grease: Recycling, and Disposal
(Series 10) Prescription Drug and Personal Care Product Disposal