Catch Basin Defined

[One Tough Pressure]

Catch Basins

"A catch basin is defines as a curbside opening that collects rainwater from streets and serves as an entry point to the storm drain system."

Water running off your yard, sidewalk or street flows down gutters to curbside openings called catch basins.

From there, this urban runoff flows into the storm drain system, a vast network of pipes and channels. In the Las Vegas Valley, this network encompasses a total of over 220 miles.

Anything carried by this runoff—pesticides, oil and anti-freeze from leaky cars, pet waste, foam containers and plastic bags—is not only unhealthful to our neighborhoods, but ends up trashing the Las Vegas Wash and polluting Lake Mead!

Even during the driest day in Southern Nevada, we produce millions of gallons of runoff, the result of activities such as car washing, over watering of lawns and yard cleanup.

How Can You Help in Your Community?

• Properly use and store all household hazardous products, including cleaners, solvents and paints.
• Be an environmentally aware consumer. Buy non-toxic products for your home and garden whenever possible
• Use pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers carefully and sparingly.
• Conserve water and reduce the amount of runoff by not over watering your lawn.
• Use a broom rather than a hose to clean up garden clippings, dirt and litter from sidewalks, patios and driveways.
• Compost yard trimmings and leaves. Do not sweep them into the streets or catch basins.
• Divert rain spouts and other sources of runoff onto grass or vegetation.
• Dispose of pet waste in trash cans. Leaving it on the lawn sends harmful bacteria into the storm drains whenever you water or when it rains.
• Donate unwanted paint, fertilizer, etc. to friends or community organizations.
• When changing car fluids, use a drip pan to collect any spills. If a spill occurs, soak it up using an absorbent material such as kitty litter or sawdust and dispose of it properly.
• Wash your car with biodegradable soap using as little water as possible. Shut off the hose while washing your car and then rinse.
• Keep a trash bag in the car and use it! Do not throw anything out the window.
• Keep up car maintenance to reduce leakage of oil, anti-freeze and other fluids.
• Buy batteries, anti-freeze and motor oil from stores that will recycle used products, or take these items to a local Recycling Center.

http://www.lvstormwater.com/catchbasin.html