Keeping Memphis Beautiful Throughout the Year
While Memphis residents don?t like the looks of
trash, the problem is usually just a nuisance. But for fish in
McKellar Lake, litter is not only an eyesore, it can also harm their
home and food supply.
Once down the storm drain, litter and urban runoff
pollution can damage fish and wildlife populations, kill native
vegetation, make recreational areas unsightly and increase the risk of
streets flooding by clogging storm drains. Styrofoam cups, empty fuel
containers, shopping carts and large sheets of furniture packing, even
an old car frame-- what do these things have in common? All of the
items are frequently seen polluting the waters of the Wolf River. What
most people don?t realize is that most of the trash is not thrown
directly into the river, but comes from other areas of the city.
?Most likely, the larger items were thrown into
one of the hundreds of miles of concrete storm channels that weave
throughout the city,? said Tom Lawrence. ?Many citizens use
storm drains and the concrete storm channels as places to dispose of
all kinds of trash. We?ve seen cars, bicycles and furniture make
their way through the storm drain channels.?
?As for smaller pieces of trash, rain moves all
litter left in yards, streets, driveways and parking lots down the
storm drain grates you see in the street.? The storm drains lead to
the concrete channels that empty into the Loosahatchie River,
Nonconnah Creek or the Wolf River. These waterways discharge their
contents into McKellar Lake and the Mississippi River.
Our rivers and lakes are beautiful amenities, and add
value to our region. Recreation such as canoeing, fishing, and
swimming will be unenjoyable if our lakes become too polluted. Many
native plants, birds, fish, and wildlife depend on the rivers, creeks
and lakes for food and habitat. If you see trash being dumped into the
concrete storm channels or want more information about keeping storm
water clean, please call the Storm Water Action Team at 529-0237.
We all must do our part to keep our rivers and lakes
beautiful throughout the year. April was Keep America Beautiful Month,
but we shouldn?t limit our clean-up efforts to one month a
year. Here are a few tips to put into practice in order to make the
city a cleaner place to live:
| Put litter into garbage cans; never throw it into storm drains
or the street.
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| Recycle as much plastic and other materials as possible.
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| Don't litter, set a good example for others, especially
children.
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| Carry a litter bag in your car, never pitch things out the
window.
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| Make sure trash cans have tightly fastened lids, animals can
carry garbage into the environment.
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| Adopt a spot in your neighborhood to keep clean and maintained.
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