Stormwater Flooding & Pollution

Reducing Pollution in Stormwater Runoff

When it rains, the rainfall hits the existing surfaces of the City. This is called stormwater runoff. Stormwater runoff hits the various surfaces, such as structures, parking lots, roads, and open grassy areas. This runoff picks up the pollution that exists on the surfaces, and carries those pollutants to wherever the runoff goes. Stormwater runoff can end up in bodies of water, storm drains, or can percolate into the ground. There are state and federal requirements that communities contain the pollution that is in the stormwater runoff, and do not allow or reduce this pollution, preventing it from entering our surface waters, storm drains and in turn affect sources of our drinking water. Following are tips that everyone in Miami Gardens can do to reduce this pollution.

Dumping Pollutants into our Storm Drains and Surface Waters

Do you know that it is illegal by City and County Codes to dump anything but stormwater into our storm drain systems and our surface waters? If you witness anyone dumping anything else into our drains or waterways, please call the County’s Pollution Control phone number, 305-372-6955. This number is monitored 24 hours per day. Please try to have details ready to discuss with an inspector, such as any identification marks the person or vehicle may have had, when and where the dumping occurred, and any other pertinent details. For more information call the City at 305-914-9081.

Collection and Disposal of Household Chemicals

Have you had leftover chemicals that have spoiled or have expired? Please do not throw these chemicals in the regular trash. Our household trash goes to landfills that are not equipped to dispose of most of the chemicals. The chemicals then end up in the ground where we get our drinking water.

Miami-Dade County has chemical collection sites where you can bring your household chemicals for proper disposal. The closest to Miami Gardens is 8831 NW 58 Street. This site is open from Wednesday to Sunday, 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Please bring identification that you are a County resident.

Get more tips on disposing household chemicals or call Miami Dade Solid Waste Management at 305-258-1837.

Proper Use of Household Chemicals

Please properly use the chemicals that are made for your lawns and gardens, and other applications. Pay attention and abide by manufacturer’s instructions when applying chemicals. If you use too much, and then it rains like it does every day in the summer, most of the chemicals may wash into our storm drains and bodies of water. This makes the pollution in our surface waters worse, and can harm our drinking water.

We can all work together in Miami Gardens to use the various tips described here; this will improve our quality of life!
For more information on this topic, please call the Floodplain Management Program at 305-914-9081.