Stormwater education program continues

MOSES LAKE — Fabric filters will be placed in stormwater drains in downtown Moses Lake Friday in preparation for sidewalk spraying.

The work is being done as part of Moses Lake’s stormwater treatment program.

Each year, the Moses Lake Business Association and volunteers spray the sidewalks with water to clean up the area.

Moses Lake Stormwater Program Manager Michelle Shields said the drains need to be covered to prevent garbage and sediment from entering the system.

It is expected the fabric will catch litter, sediment, organic trimmings and some chemicals that would otherwise enter the stormwater system.

After the fabric catches the debris, the fabric will be removed and thrown away along with the debris, she explained.

The fabric filters will be used at construction sites to prevent debris from entering the system.

During a Moses Lake Vision 2020 meeting on Tuesday, Shields passed around a plastic container. Inside the container was an example of what enters the system. It included sediment, gravel, paper, trimmings and garbage including a prescription medication bottle.

Shields said a large part of the stormwater treatment program is education.

She said markers have been placed at the drains stating, “No Dumping, Drains To Lake.”

To help keep groundwater and the lake clean, Shields asks residents to follow a few tips. She suggests cleaning up pet waste, using as little pesticide and fertilizer as possible, bagging lawn clippings, washing vehicles on a grassy area and not dumping vehicle fluids and paints down the drains.