Stormwater Runoff
Controlling stormwater runoff significantly improves the water quality in Beech Hill Pond, and thus improves our enjoyment of the lake and helps maintain lake front property values.
What are the effects of stormwater runoff?
- Sediments can cloud water, affecting plants, fish, and other aquatic life;
- Sediments can form deltas, providing ideal habitat for invasive species;
- Excess nutrients can cause increases in algal growth;
- Bacteria and pathogens can make water unsafe for drinking and swimming;
- Debris – such as plastic bags – can suffocate or disable aquatic life such as loons, ducks or turtles;
- Household hazardous wastes such as pesticides, paints, or motor oil can poison aquatic life;
- Road salt from the winter increases chloride levels in the Pond.
All of these effects can lead to a loss in water quality, one of the primary attractions to the Pond.
What is stormwater runoff ?
After a storm, water that falls on natural lanscapes infiltrates down into the ground, eventually finding its way into the groundwater aquifer to recharge the Pond with clean water.
Water that falls on impervious surfaces (such as roads, driveways, patios and parking lots) does not soak into the surfaces — instead, it flows at increased speed across those surfaces, scouring oils, salt, and sediment-carrying phosphorous or other chemicals towards the low point around: Beech Hill Pond.