What You Can Do to Protect Watersheds

Doo Your Part

The average dog generates a quarter pound of feces a day? This may not sound like much, but it means that a watershed of 100,000 people has more than two and half tons of feces deposited into it each day, that adds up to almost two million pounds per year!

Why You Should Care

An estimated 1.2 million dogs live in the North Texas area. Alone, each dog doesn't "doo" that much, but collectively, it causes big problems!

Stormwater runoff can pick up and carry any pollutants that are left on the ground and deposit the into the City's stormwater system. Stormwater is not treated, so that means whatever goes down the drain, such as chemicals, fertilizers, sediment and pet waste, will end up in our local streams, creeks and Lewisville Lake. Pet waste can contain high levels of bacteria, nutrients and pathogens that can be harmful to not only aquatic life, but public health. By picking up and disposing of pet waste properly, the amount of fecal pathogenic pollution can be decreased.

Pet waste is not only smelly and unsightly, but it also poses health risks for pets and people and is a water contaminant. Microorganisms causing health issues (including campylobacteriosis, cryptosporidium, toxocariasis, parvovirus, and roundworms) can remain in the soil for up to four years if not cleaned up.

Pollutants from pet wastes (fecal coliforms, nitrogen) can be washed into streams and lakes from storm drains by rain or irrigation. This can make water unattractive or even unsafe for swimming, boating, fishing, and drinking.

Steps to Take

• Flush it: Pick up the waste with a scooper and flush it in a toilet.
• Toss it: Place the waste in a plastic grocery bag, tie the end securely, and place it in your green trash cart.
• Bury it: Scoop the waste and bury it at least six inches underground, away from gardens and water sources.
• Let Us know! Take the Pet Waste Pledge and Doo Your Part Survey!

Texas Stream Team

Texas Stream Team is a network of trained citizen monitors and supportive partners working together to gather information about the natural resources of Texas and to ensure the information is available to all Texans. Established in 1991, Texas Stream Team is administered through a cooperative partnership between Texas State University, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ), and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Currently, hundreds of Texas Stream Team citizen monitors collect water quality data on lakes, rivers, streams, wetlands, bays, bayous, and estuaries in Texas. Denton is a Texas Stream Team Partner, meaning we offer annual training sessions and have loaner sampling kits. Additionally we support the advanced training sessions which cover nutrient (nitrogen and phosphorus) and bacteriological monitoring.

For more information, please email the Watershed Division.

Proper Leaf Disposal

We all take pride in the appearance of our homes and yards. However, blowing leaves into the gutter or dumping them into drainage ditches are autumn activities with potentially serious consequences.

They have to go somewhere. Leaves and yard debris that are blown into the street eventually collect in the storm drains. During heavy rains, clogged storm drains and bar ditches can cause flooding. The Drainage Department dispatches a Street Sweeper on a schedule that takes about six months to make a full pass through the City. On a good day the sweeper can pick up around 40 cubic yards...or about 40 pickup truck loads. That's a lot of yard waste to send to the Landfill.

Mulching is an easy and beneficial way to deal with leaves. Just mow and leave on your lawn. Composting is another alternative, you can have home grown fertilizer ready for planting. You can bag yard waste and place on the curb with trash pick-up for recycling into Dyno Dirt.

Cap the Gap

Cleanouts are the pipes that allow access to a home or business's sewer service. They are usually covered by white plastic caps that protrude above the top of the cleanout pipe.

People often mow over these caps, breaking off the top. This allows rainwater to flow in through open cleanouts, which can overwhelm sewer system pipes, cause overflows, and cost more money to carry this excess water to the wastewater plant and treat it.

It is a homeowner's responsibility to install a sewer cleanout if one is not present. If you have a cleanout, City Code Section 26-188 requires that you maintain your cleanout by keeping it capped.

Working together, we can cap the gap and save valuable resources. For more information, call 940-349-8489.

Swimming Pools

Did you know swimming pool water can pollute our creeks, streams, and lakes? Even though it is safe for us, swimming pool water may contain chemicals that are harmful to aquatic life. Anything discharged into streets or storm drains goes directly to the nearest creek, stream, or lake without being treated. With the average pool holding about 19,000 gallons, improper disposal can adversely impact our waterways. Pools have a high concentration of chlorine which is toxic to fish and wildlife.

To prevent algae, many pools are treated with an algaecide, often containing copper or silver which can hinder natural plant growth along streams.