As you celebrate, remember that tossing your drink cup, food wrapper, or cigarette butt onto your picnic site, into the street, or sidewalk is littering and can lead to serious problems.
May 2022 Press Release
April 2022 Press Release
Pet waste is more than an annoyance for pedestrians, it contains bacteria, viruses, and parasites and poses a serious threat to our rivers, lakes, and streams. In addition to looking and smelling bad, animal waste can wash into drain inlets during storm events. Storm water, carrying the waste flows from the inlets through the drainage system and discharges into local creeks and rivers and eventually into McKellar Lake and the Mississippi River. In addition to increasing bacteria levels, decomposing animal waste demands a high level of oxygen from the water. By reducing the amount of available oxygen, aquatic life suffers.
March 2022 Press Release
December 2021 Press Release
The City of Memphis Storm Water Department encourages everyone to properly dispose of fats, oils, and greases. When poured down a sink drain, fats, oils, and greases cling to pipes beneath your house and in the City’s sanitary sewer system. This can cause sewage to backup into your home. Clogged pipes can become a health hazard by causing sewage overflows, which can discharge into the neighborhood and waterbodies.
November 2021 Press Release
October 2021 Press Release
September 2021 Press September
Proper use of lawn and garden chemicals such as herbicides, pesticides, and insecticides plays an important role in protecting our area rivers, lakes, and streams according to the City of Memphis Storm Water Department.
Chemicals have a role to play in establishing and maintaining healthy lawns and gardens. When used improperly or in excess, lawn and garden chemicals can wash into storm drain inlets during rain events.
