Jackson reminding residents of importance of keeping pollution under control

National Public Works Week ends Saturday and the City of Jackson is taking the opportunity to give a reminder to residents: If they are careful not to pollute storm sewers, the effort may result in tax savings.

In a two-sided insert included with May’s utility bill, the Jackson Public Works Department is asking people to pick up trash in streets and yards, clean up after pets, recycle motor oil and don’t allow yard clippings to end up in the street.

Clint Brown, Jackson’s city engineer, wrote the insert and said pollutants in storm drains can be a real problem.

“When you use your toilet, the discharge goes directly to the (city’s) treatment plant,” said Brown, “but if anything not actually rainwater ends up in the storm drain, it goes untreated and flows directly into the creek.”

Jackson, since it has a population of at least 10,000 people, is required to have a Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System Permit, or MS4.

“What MS4 means for Jackson,” Brown said, “is we have to clean our storm drains to make sure they stay clean.”

Jackson’s public works director Kent Peetz said the city is focused on its two main creeks, Hubble and Goose.

“We have someone walking our creeks with a GPS unit,” Peetz said, “checking all the outfalls (pipes) for pollutants.”

Brown said homeowners have several alternatives to dumping motor oil on their property.

“(Homeowners) may take their used oil to our maintenance facility at 412 Florence St.,” said Brown, who also noted a number of commercial establishments also will take oil for recycling.

The utility bill insert includes a full-color photograph of motor oil leaving a greasy film in water.

“If a resident is discovered dumping oil and it ends up in a storm drain, we’ll send a letter,” Brown said.

Christopher Kennedy, fisheries regional supervisor for the Missouri Department of Conservation in Cape Girardeau, echoed the concern about dumping motor oil.

“First of all, it’s illegal (to dump oil),” Kennedy said.

“Ultimately, pollutants (in creeks) harm fish,” Kennedy said, “and severely imperils the aquatic ecosystem.”

MDC cites the following 2020 statistics for Missouri indicating the following are threatened, endangered or are species of concern because of pollution in creeks and other bodies of water:

• 30% of 200 varieties of fish;
• 89% of mollusks;
• 55% of crayfish;
• 32% of amphibians;
• 26% of aquatic reptiles.

Brown said when rainwater becomes polluted, a cycle that may lead to higher taxes is triggered.

“More regulation must be put into place to monitor (those) pollutants. More pollutants mean more requirements,” Brown said.

Additional requirements mean more regulation, he added, which add up to more tax dollars being necessary.