GIFFORD — Indian River County in partnership with City of Vero Beach, City of Sebastian, UF/IFAS IRC Extension Office, and the Indian River Lagoon National Estuary Program will present a free Know the Flow Seminar for all residents, association leaders and property managers to learn about the path of runoff and its impact from residential properties to the Indian River Lagoon on Tuesday May 22 from 10 a.m. – 1p.m. at the Gifford Youth Activity Center, 4875 43 Ave., Vero Beach.
Registration must be made by May 17 either online at http://KnowTheFlowGYAC.eventbrite.com or calling (772) 266-1565.
The program is not specific to the municipality in which the seminar is held, but is generic and applicable to all areas within Indian River County.
The Know the Flow program was designed as an educational program explaining how neighborhood drainage systems work and how to properly maintain them. The Indian River County version of the seminar illustrates the path of runoff and its impact from a residential property on the Indian River Lagoon.
Many people are not aware that pollution from their neighborhoods can reach the Lagoon. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, runoff from residential properties is the major source of water pollution in our country.
The Know the Flow Seminars held at different locations around the County throughout the year serve to educate homeowners on ways they can reduce potential pollutants in the runoff that leaves their properties. Homeowners and community associations have a responsibility to properly maintain their land to avoid producing polluted runoff and groundwater seepage.
A partnership of representatives from Indian River County, City of Vero Beach, City of Sebastian, UF/IFAS IRC Extension Office, and the Indian River Lagoon National Estuary Program adapted the original Know the Flow program created by South Florida Water Management District.
Community leaders and management professionals benefit by learning how to enhance property values and community ambiance, and reduce the potential for flooding and maintenance expenses by learning how neighborhood drainage systems work and how to properly maintain them. Association leaders and managers can enhance the value of a community while saving money, time, and resources through learning proper maintenance and operation techniques for community stormwater systems and learning how to motivate homeowners to use stormwater runoff prevention practices
This event is aligned with the Clean Water Goal of local governments to reduce the amount of visible and invisible (chemical, organic, and bacterial) pollutants washed off land and carried by rainwater runoff into residential ponds, roadside canals, and our Indian River Lagoon.
Citizens can help achieve this goal by voluntarily making simple behavioral changes that reduce the volume and improve the quality of water that runs off their properties.
Stormwater runoff damages the Lagoon in two ways: it carries a number of harmful pollutants; and the large volumes of freshwater discharged during storm events can reduce the brackish Lagoon’s salinity, harming sea grasses and aquatic life. Common pollutants in stormwater include eroded soils, excess nutrients from fertilizers, pesticides, household chemicals, pet waste, motor oil and fuel leaked from vehicles, septic tank leakage, etc. When it rains, any of these materials may easily be swept along as water begins running off our streets and lawns and into the nearest canal – all of which eventually drain into the Indian River Lagoon.
To report pollution and learn ways to prevent stormwater runoff pollution from leaving your property, visit www.ircStormwater.com. Pollution reports can also be made anonymously by calling the Indian River County Pollution Hotline (772) 226-1888, Monday – Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. After hours report pollution to municipal police or call 911.