[From the U.S. Government Printing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                                                       HEARE's HOW


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                                                         PROTECT ("IJAM51S












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                                            PUBLISHED BY THE GUAM COASTAL MANAGEMENT PROGRAM,
                                              Government of Guam. Funded by the Office of Ocean and Coastal
                               JAM        Resource Management, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administra-
                               V1400                        tion through NOAA grand award NA570ZO356.











                        NONPOINT POLLUTION IS...


                                        pollution from human activities


                                        small scale


                                        mostly unnoticeable by itself


                                        harmfut mostly when it accumulates


                                        manageable


                                        capable of ruining our ecollymy


                                        inexpensive to manage


                                        prevented with good housekeeping


                                        easy to understand






                                                        T11141A PROBU31M
                                                          POLLUTION OF OUR COASTAL
                                                                     AND SURFACE ICU ERS
                                                                   BY NORMAL AC71VITIES

                                11 omes are very active places. Lots of little pollut-
                            ants come from human activities. So, let's walk around
                                                            the house and find those
                                                             common, everyday sub
                        2                                 stances that can add up to
                                                              pollution of our streams
                                                                        and coastline.
                                                                    The driveway and
                                                                lawn-every rainstorm
                                                           washes soil from the bare
                                  patches on the lawn and the ruts in the driveway.


                                        "How CAN SOIL BE A POLLUTANT? IT'S NATURALP


                                  That's true. Soil is not a poison. Not all pollutants
                            are poisons. Soil is a pollutant when it
                               covers, suffocates, and                  Woo
                              blocks out sunlight from
                            other organisms,
                                 such as our

                                       corals.                  q










                                                                                                  PAGE 3















                                           N LIVE ON THE MOUNTAM
                                           MY SOIL DOESN'T GO THAT FAR, DOES ITT'















                                                       -A





                                           SOIL lost from your home does get to our coastal
                                           waters. We have to deal with a lot of storm water, as
                                           we do get a lot of rain. Before Guam grew so much,
                                           the rain water was absorbed into the ground where it
                                           landed and we didn't have problems with large and
                                           powerful flows of storm water that could carry away
                                           soil. Now that we have many more roads, highways,
                                           developments, and parking areas, there's less of a
                                           chance that storm water will be absorbed and
                                           cleansed by nature.
                                                We have more water, moving faster, and it will
                                           pick up more and travel farther.


                          PAGE 4















                                                     "YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT BIG PROBLEMS.
                                                                  SURELY MY DRIVEWAY ISN'T

                                                                       CAUSING A PROBLEM."


                                             You're right! Your driveway, by itself, isn't a
                                    problem. But when the small amount of water and
                                     soil that comes off your driveway is added to the
                                   runoff from other driveways, a stream of water that
                                 carries soils and pollutants starts to build into a flow
                                                                  of polluted storm runoff.
                                      The pollutants and soil add up. It only takes two
                                     tablespoons-about one ounce- of soil from each
                                                                   home on Guam to add
                                                                     up to an entire ton of
                                                                      soil dumped into our
                                                                            coastal waters.
                                                                         It may not be very
                                                                     visible as it is carried
                                                                         from your lawn or
                                                                              driveway, but
                                                                    several pounds of soil
                                   may leave your lawn in one storm, resulting in tons
                               and tons of soil being carried into coastal waters on a
                                                                                  rainy day.






                                                                                                        PAGE 5
















                                              "HOW DO YOU KNOW

                                              THIS REALLY IS HAPPENING?"
                                                    First, we can see the plumes of silt being washed
                                                  out to sea during a storm. The waters of Guam be-
                                                comes rusty red as a result of the soil being taken up
                                               and carried to the coastal waters. Second, the Univer-
                                               sity of Guam Marine Laboratory has documented that
                                                silt is collecting in our reefs. The Marine Lab has also
                                               identified other nonpoint pollutants as having negative






























                            11AC37, 6












                              effects on coral spawning, even further degrading the
                                 rich life of the reefs. Most of us don't dive, and we
                            never get to see the changes that are occurring under-
                            water only a few yards away from us. That's one of the
                                    reasons why we haven't been concerned about
                                nonpoint pollutants, but when puzzling evidence of
                            unseen problems started
                            to emerge, such as toxic

                                   seaw
                                         eed that has
                              claimed lives, the over-
                                  growth of algae on
                                 Tumon Bay and the
                            shrinking of fish catches
                            science and engineering
                            professionals throughout
                                Guam looked for an-
                              swers. We have known
                            about nonpoint pollutants
                                for more than twenty
                            years, but only when this
                               evidence started to accumulate did we consider the
                            possibility that pollution from known sources was only a
                              part of the problem. Clearly the problem is not unique
                                to Guam. Other communities have experienced the
                                losses, including illness and death, that come from
                                                                                            X/V
                                                                                                 1_57






















                              neglecting these problems. We can and have learned
                              from their experiences and have unique problems for
                                              which there must be unique solutions.


                                                                                                 PAGE 7















                                              "WHAT ARE SOME THINGS I CAN DO
                                               AROUND THE HOUSET'


                                              FOR G'ARDEN AND LUM
                                                  *Reseed bare areas.
                                                  oProtect bare areasfrom waterflow until natural cover
                                                    is established.
                                                  -Use gravel or paving for your driveway and parking
                                                    areas. If you must park on the lawn, don't park in
                                                    the same place each time.
                                                  *Avoid the use of pesticides, or other chemicals. If
                                                    you must, use them only according to directions.
                                                    Never apply just before a rain storm.
                                                  -When mowing the lawn, leave the clippings on the
                                                    lawn. Clippings that you sweep up can be used for
                                                    protecting bare soil from rain.

                                                  .
                                                    Avoid the use of chemical fertilizers, and apply only
                                                    'minimum amounts of fertilizer or manure.

                                                           'PTIC M113M
                                              VOUR SE
                                                    @Have your system pumped before it overflows.
                                                    -Conserve water.
                                                    eDon't use garbage disposals; compost food wastes
                                                    instead.
                                                    -Don't dump chemicals, petroleum products, or
                                J I-










                                                    household chemicals into your drains.
                                                    *Avoid the use of "septic system conditioners."
                                                    *Use low-sudsing, phosphate free detergents.

                            PAGE it












                                            HNUMEEMIED CIENTIMECIAU10
                              &Dispose of household chemicals according to the
                               label directions.
                              elf in doubt, contact the Guam Environmental Pro-
                               tection Agency for assistance.
                              -Never place household chemicals in the regular
                               trash.




                              oPrevent your animals from leaving wastes directly
                               in streams or on paved surfaces.
                              *Compost pet waste, flush it into the sanitary sewer
                               system, or place it in the trash.
                              oNever place animal waste down a storm drain.
                              -elf you use animal waste as a fertilizer, protect it from
                               being washed away by storm water flowing across
                               your property or direct contact with rain.
















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                                                                                            PAGE 9





                           HEAREA's HEIY!



                                                  In this booklet, we have shown some of the
                                             more common ways that activities around your home
                                             may contribute to pollution. We hope that we've
                                             explained why we need your help and support and
                                             that you will want to make the simple changes that
                                             would really help protect.


                                                  If you need more information about these
                                             practices, or for more general information on
                                             nonpoint pollution, there are lots of folks with infor-
                                             mation. You probably know most of them, and we
                                             promise you a warm welcome from all:


                                                 F6r general information on nonpoint pollution,
                                                pesticides, and feedlot waste disposal, con-
                                                tact the Guam Environmental Protection
                                                Agency at 472-8863.


                                                For help with planning your use of animal
                                                wastes, fertilizer, and pesticides, contact the
                                                Agricultural Experiment Station at the Univer-
                                                sity of Guam College of Agriculture at 735-
                                                2134.











                           PAGE 10



































                                               This booklet is published by
                                THE GUAM COASTAL MANAGEMENT PROGRAM,
                                                 funded by a grant from
                                 the Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management,
                                    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration,
                                                under grant NA57OZ0356.


                                                               
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                                               PRINTED ON GUAM U.S.A.
                                                 ON RECYCLED PAPER




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