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If you smell gas, smell oil, or see an oil spill that threatens our waterways call 911.
Use the Water/Grading/Pollutant Online Form To:
Did you know that the stormwater drains and inlets within your neighborhood have an important impact on the water quality of our streams? Why? Because storm drains flow directly to nearby rivers and streams, not to wastewater treatment plants. Your street is really like waterfront property and everything that rain washes off of your roof, yard, and driveway goes to the nearby water used for swimming, boating, and maybe even drinking. Anything dumped into these drains goes directly into a local stream. Everyone can help. Homeowners, business owners, developers, and other citizens should never dump anything into storm drains so we can protect our water from storm water pollution that may close beaches, cause unsightly weed and algae growth, and even kill fish!
Other Ways to Help:
Pennsylvania's NPDES storm water program establishes permitting requirements for construction sites disturbing more than one acre, industrial sites, and Municipal Separate Storm Sewer Systems (MS4s). Upper Dublin Township has an MS4 permit and is required to implement a stormwater management program (SWMP) consisting of six Minimum Control Measures.
Minimum Control Measures
Water Permitting
The Board of Commissioners adopted revisions to the Stormwater Management Section of the Subdivision and Land Development Regulations.
On September 14, 2004, the Upper Dublin Township Board of Commissioners adopted revisions to the Township's Stormwater Management Regulations. The revisions were necessary to bring the regulations into conformance with MS4 program requirements. A copy of Ordinances 1138, 1139, 1140, 1141, and 1142, amending the Stormwater Management Regulations contained in the Zoning Chapter 255, in the Subdivision and Land Development Chapter 212, in the Watercourses Chapter 240, in the Stormwater Management Chapter 206 and miscellaneous Chapters of the Code of Ordinances of Upper Dublin Township, may be viewed by clicking on the links below.
Township ordinances relating to Stormwater Management can also be viewed by visiting the Township codes online, section 206 (type 206 or stormwater in the "Search Ordinances for Phrase" box).
Visit the Documents & Forms page for the ordinances relating to Stormwater Management.
Public Works Drainage & Improvement Projects
Visit the Documents & Forms page for more Stormwater guides and fact sheets for businesses, construction and homeowners.
Any earth movement activity requires a Township grading permit.
Construction Industry Information
The construction industry has a key role to play in storm water management. As storm water flows over a construction site, it can pick up pollutants such as sediment, debris, and chemicals. Uncontrolled erosion has a significant financial impact on a construction project. It costs time and money to repair gullies, replace vegetation, clean sediment clogged storm drains, and mitigate damage to other people’s property.
Installing and maintaining pollution prevention techniques on site can reduce the potential for storm water pollution and help protect our nation’s water supply.
Protect Natural Features By:
Visit the PA DEP Stormwater Management web site for stormwater management related construction permit applications and other information. Other important links are listed at the bottom of this web page.
Storage Container Safety
Preventing & Cleaning Up Spills
Salt and sand have traditionally been perceived as the cheapest and most effective materials for de-icing surfaces such as highways, walkways, and parking lots. However, many people do not realize that many of these products have hidden impacts. When the ice melts, the salt and chemicals dissolve and flow into street drains that lead directly to a stream in our watershed. Depending on the product used, these impacts can range from creating dangerous changes in water salinity, to reducing oxygen levels in our streams and rivers, to "burning" or killing vegetation along sidewalks and roadsides, to damaging concrete and carpets, to increasing sediment and phosphorus levels and introducing toxic chemicals such as cyanide, chlorine or ammonia in our streams and rivers.
Keeping ice and snow off your driveway and sidewalks is important for safety. The following tips can help you choose the best deicing product for your home and the environment.
1. Buy Early. Make sure to buy your deicing product well before the big storm hits; otherwise, you could be looking at empty shelves and have few, if any, environmental choices to make at the store.
2. Check the Label. The table below provides a summary of the pros and cons of the various main ingredients of common deicing products. Check the package label closely to see what you are buying. Experts recommend using calcium chloride over sodium chloride (rock salt).
| Check the Label For | Works Down to: | Cost is: | Environmental Impacts |
|---|---|---|---|
| Calcium Magnesium Acetate (CMA) | 22°F to 25°F |
20x more than rock salt | (+) Less toxic |
| Calcium Chloride (CaCl) | -25°F | 3x more than rock salt | (+) Can use lower doses; (+) No cyanide; (-) Chloride impact |
| Urea (Fertilizer) | 20°F to 25°F |
5x more than rock salt | (+) Less corrosion; (-) Adds needless nutrients |
| Sand | No melting effect | ~$3 for a 50 lb. bag | (-) Accumulates in streets and streams as sediment (-) Forms microparticles that become airborne and pollute the air. Micro particles are breathable and can effect people with respiratory problems. |
| Sodium Chloride (NaCl), aka rock salt | 15°F | ~$5 for a 50 lb. bag | (-) Contains cyanide; (-) Chloride impact |
3. Avoid Kitty Litter and Ashes. Although these products are environmentally friendly, they aren't very effective. While they provide some traction, they do not melt snow and ice. Also, they tend to get real gooey and messy when it warms up, which often tracks in to the floors of your home. If traction is what you want, then stick with sand, which is much cheaper and easier to sweep up.
4. Shovel Early and Often. When it comes to snow removal, there is no substitute for muscle and elbow grease. Deicers work best when there is only a thin layer of snow or ice that must be melted. Get out the snow shovel and move as much snow as you can during the storm. A flat hoe can also help to scrape ice off the surface before any deicers are applied. Be careful when chopping the ice build-up that you don't damage your sidewalk. Also, be careful when shoveling snow. Snow is heavy and overexertion can lead to heart attacks.
5. Know Your Salt Risk Zone. You wouldn't want to kill your favorite tree, shrub or grass, so check out the plants that grow within five or ten feet of your driveway and sidewalk (and the road, for that matter). The table below summarizes some of the salt sensitive plants that might be at risk. If you have salt-sensitive trees, shrubs or grasses in this zone, you should avoid any deicing product that contains chlorides (rock salt and calcium chloride), or use very small doses. You may want to use CMA as a safer alternative, or stick with sand for traction.
| Landscaping Areas | Species at Risk from Salting |
|---|---|
| Deciduous Trees | Tulip Polar, Green Ash, Hickory, Red Maple, Sugar Maple |
| Conifers | Balsam Fir, White Pine, Hemlock, Norway Spruce |
| Shrubs | Dogwood, Redbud, Hawthorn, Rose, Spirea |
| Grasses | Kentucky Bluegrass, Red Fescue |
6. Avoid Products that Contain Urea. Some folks recommend the use of urea as a safer alternative to more common deicing products, arguing that it does not contain chlorides and, as a form of nitrogen, will help fertilize your yard when it washes off. In reality, urea-based deicing products are a poor choice. To begin with, urea is fairly expensive and performs poorly when temperatures drop below 20°F. More importantly, the application rate for urea during a single deicing is ten times greater than that needed to fertilize the same area of your yard. Of course, very little of the urea will actually get to your lawn, but will end up washing into the street and storm drain. Given that nitrogen is a major problem for our waterways, it doesn't make sense to use nitrogen-based products, such as those containing urea, for deicing.
7. Apply Salt Early, but Sparingly. Remember that "A little salt goes a long way." The recommended application rate for rock salt is about a handful per square yard treated (after you have scraped as much ice and snow as possible). Using more salt than this won't speed up the melting process. Even less salt is needed if you are using calcium chloride (about a handful for every three square yards treated - or about the area of a single bed). If you have a choice, pick calcium chloride over sodium chloride. Calcium chloride works at much lower temperatures and is applied at a much lower rate.
8. After ice/pavement bond is broken, remove the remaining slush by shoveling.
Limit access to your home to one entrance. For every doorway that is not used, there will be less deicer running into the catch basin in your street.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Botanic Garden produced a 9-minute on-line video, “Reduce Runoff: Slow It Down, Spread It Out, Soak It In” that highlights green techniques such as rain gardens, green roofs and rain barrels to help manage stormwater runoff.
This information was adapted from "Backyard Stewardship, Our Environment Begins With Your Yard," a pamphlet produced by the Virginia Department of Forestry and the City of Virginia Beach and by the NRCS, Connecticut.
What you do in and with your yard can end up outside your yard, in your neighbor’s yard, in the storm drain or stream, and eventually in the ocean. If you multiply what you do in your yard by the number of people on your street, in your town, or in your state, your yard starts to look like everybody’s business. The environment really does begin with your yard!
A clean, well-maintained yard looks good. Those who pass by may comment on how beautiful your yard looks, how the neighborhood seems like a great place to live, and how the property values are enhanced by appearances. Those around you are proud to have you as a neighbor. The plants in your yard and your neighbor’s yard, in the woods down the street, in the public park next door, all give off oxygen to help us breathe. They keep the air fresh and clean. Also, plants help to cool the environment by providing shade. Ground covers and other plants hold your soil in place. The soil doesn’t wash away, doesn’t flow into your neighbor’s yard, doesn’t clog storm drains and streams, and doesn’t carry along pesticides and nutrients that pollute the water. Your yard can be home to many birds, butterflies, and animals that are interesting to observe and can help control pests.
Learn About Erosion and Sediment Control
Soil erosion is the process by which rainfall and moving surface water dislodge and carry soil particles, organic matter, and plant nutrients with them. Erosion around a home not only causes damage to your property and nearby roads, but also affects water quality in ponds, lakes, or streams. Muddy water flowing in your driveway, ditch, or onto the road following a rain indicates that erosion is occurring.
Sedimentation is the depositing of soil from muddy water. The eroded soil stops someplace as sediment- filling ditches, streams, lakes, and shipping channels at considerable cost to taxpayers. The best way to reduce sedimentation is to control erosion by using vegetative cover, or applying stone, straw, and fabric filters to trap soil particles. In larger flows, water is held in temporary storage basins until most of the soil settles out of the water. Here are some things you can do:
Keep the soil covered. Bare soil is the primary cause of erosion. Plant grass or other vegetation to protect the soil from the impact of raindrops and to hold the soil in place. Mulch bare areas with straw, grass clippings, stones, wood chips, and other protective cover. Vegetated and mulched areas increase soil infiltration, reducing erosive runoff water.
Control concentrated flow. Watch the flow of runoff water during storms. Areas of concentrated flow on slopes should be protected by keeping the channel in grass on gentle slopes and lining the channel with stones or pavement on steeper slopes. Building terraces across the slope will help to divert water away from slopes. Use splash blocks at gutter outlets.
Select plants that grow well in the local areas and are suitable for the climate conditions in your yard, such as shaded or sunny areas and wet or dry soil. Plant ground covers in shaded areas where grass is difficult to establish and maintain.
Rain Garden, A how-to manual for homeowners by University of WisconsinLearn How to Control Storm Water
You have a direct link from your property to nearby lakes and streams. The path of water running off sidewalks and driveways goes through street gutters and storm sewers into a nearby stream, lake, or wetland. The muddy water runoff joins with other runoff, and at times results in damaging floods further downstream.
By-products of our everyday life, such as motor oil, antifreeze, road salt, soil, pet waste, fertilizers, and pesticides can get into water and affect its quality. Keeping storm water runoff clean reduces the pollutants that enter the public water supply. Here are some things you can do:
Learn How to Care for Your Lawn
Maintaining a green lawn requires care and time. Concern for the environment has led many people to turn to more environmentally safe lawn care practices. Using organic fertilizers can help reduce the amount of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium reaching local streams. Organic fertilizers contain the same basic plant nutrients as chemicals, but they take longer to dissolve and will stay in the soil longer. Here are some things you can do:
Learn to Control Insects with Plants
Some plants naturally repel insects. These plants have their own chemical defense systems. Planting them among desired flowers and vegetables help keep unwanted insects away. Following is a partial list of nature’s alternatives to pesticides:
| Pest | Plant Repellent |
|---|---|
| Ants | mint, tansy, pennyroyal |
| Aphids | mint, garlic, chives, coriander, anise |
| Bean Leaf Beetle | potato, onion, turnip |
| Codling Moth | common oleander |
| Colorado Potato Bug | green beans, coriander, nasturtium |
| Cucumber Beetle | radish, tansy |
| Flea Beetle | garlic, onion, mint |
| Imported Cabbage Worm | mint, sage, rosemary, hyssop |
| Japanese Beetle | garlic, larkspur, tansy, rue, geranium |
| Leaf Hopper | geranium, petunia |
| Mexican Bean Beetle | potato, onion, garlic, radish, petunia, marigold |
| Mice | onion |
| Root Knot | French marigolds Nematodes |
| Slugs | prostrate rosemary, wormwood |
| Spider Mites | onion, garlic, cloves, chives |
| Squash Bug | radish, marigolds, tansy, nasturtium |
| Squash Vine Borer | cloves, onion, garlic |
| Stink Bug | radish |
| Thrips | marigolds |
| Tomato Hornworm | marigold, sage, borage |
| Whitefly | marigold, nasturtium |
Learn to Help Wildlife, and They Will Help You in Return
Songbirds and other wildlife add much to the joy of urban, suburban, and country living. Birds help reduce the insects that attack your flowers, gardens, lawns, and shrubs.
Shrubs, trees, vines, and other plants offer a natural way to attract birds and wildlife to your home site.
Wildlife likes diversity. Edges, the borders between open grass, trees, and shrubs, are the favorite habitat for wildlife. Flowering shrubs, grasses, and other plants provide berries and seeds for the birds. Taller and dense growth offers protection to birds and small animals against predators. Plant a rich intermingling of species, size, and shapes of plants.
Develop a plan for your yard. Wildlife need three things: food, water, and shelter. Along with your personal ideas, consider soil, slope, drainage, exposure, and climate. Added benefits occur where plantings provide beauty, shade, soil stabilization, and runoff control.
Flowering shrubs that attract birds and wildlife include:
Gardens enhance the environment and the quality of your life by providing beauty, fresh vegetables, and recreation. By following safe environmental practices, you can grow fresh, healthy food while satisfying yourself with a rewarding summer hobby. Here are some things you can do:
Things You Can Do on Larger Lots
Things You Can Do on Small Lots, Patios, and Balconies
Thank you to the Virginia Department of Forestry, the City of Virginia Beach and the NRCS, Connecticut for the above "Backyard Information."
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Stormville: Four Problem Behaviors
Courtesy of Chittenden County Vermont Regional Stormwater Education Program.
Water Cycle Interactive Video provided by the EPA.
Thirstin's Water Question and Answer Game provided by the EPA.
Thirstin's Water Word Scramble Game provided by the EPA.
Thirstin's Water Fun Facts Match Game provided by the EPA.
Educational Video Links
Video: "Reduce Runoff: Slow it Down, Spread It Out, Soak It In" provided by the EPA.
Video: "Building Green" provided by the EPA.
Video: "River Smart Homes" provided by the EPA.
Student, Teacher, Scout Links
The PA Department of Environmental Protection has provided several informational posters that demonstrate the impacts of activities that many people practice without realizing the adverse effect they could have on our water system.
| Car Wash Poster | Fertilizer Poster | Oil Slick Poster | Pet Waste Poster |
Report an Environmental Incident Link
Construction Related Links
Homeowner Related Links
DEP & EPA Links
General Links
Watershed Organizations
1999-2013, Upper Dublin Township, Pennsylvania. All rights reserved.
The Township of Upper Dublin
801 Loch Alsh Avenue, Fort Washington, PA 19034
Phone: (215) 643-1600 TTY: 711 Fax: (215) 542-0797
This website is meant to comply with the U.S. Section 508 accessibility guidelines.
Translate The Upper Dublin Township Website
The Township of Upper Dublin
801 Loch Alsh Avenue
Fort Washington, PA 19034
Phone: (215) 643-1600
TTY: 711
Fax: (215) 542-0797

Seated left to right:
Ronald P. Feldman (VP)-Ward 6
Ira S. Tackel (Pres.)-Ward 4
Chester H. Derr, III-Ward 3
Standing left to right:
Sharon L. Damsker-Ward 2
John R. Minehart-Ward 1
Stanley J. Ropski-Ward 7
Rebecca A. Gushue-Ward 5