Like other developed areas in Monroe County, growth in Perinton over the last 60-years has caused some unfortunate consequences to the water quality of natural streams, creeks and wetlands. One consequence is that developed areas shed larger volumes of stormwater run-off from impervious surfaces like roads, buildings and parking lots compared to the natural landscape. Because there is more volume of stormwater run-off, there is more associated pollution. These pollutants typically include petroleum products and heavy metals from vehicles; fertilizers, chemicals and animal waste from lawns; and sediment from eroded streambanks, construction sites and roadways.
A second consequence is that streams more frequently flow full or overtop their banks. High stormwater flows can cause flooding, damage property, and harm fish and wildlife habitat. Common damages from high flows include eroded stream banks, wider and deeper stream channels, and excessive sediment deposition. This continued degradation can result in poor water quality and added maintenance costs to municipalities and property owners.
According to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation’s “Lake Ontario Basin Waterbody Inventory and Priority Waterbodies List” (NYSDEC 2020/2022), Thomas Creek, here in the Town of Perinton, has been identified and listed as a 303(d) impaired waterbody; likely the result of stormwater run-off from suburban development, with silt/sediment and nutrients like Phosphorus being the primary pollutants of concern.
What is phosphorus and why is it a problem?
- Phosphorus is a nutrient that is essential for plant and animal life. However, when present in excessive amounts in water bodies, it acts as a fertilizer and can cause rapid algae growth, leading to blooms and poor water quality.
- Algal blooms can block sunlight from reaching underwater plants, causing them to die. The decomposition of dead aquatic plants and large amounts of algae consumes oxygen, leading to low dissolved oxygen levels, which can suffocate fish and other aquatic organisms.
In Perinton, what are some sources of Phosphorus Pollution:
- Agricultural runoff: Animal waste, and fertilizers.
- Urban runoff: Stormwater runoff from streets, lawns, commercial/retail plazas, industrial areas, and active construction sites can carry phosphorus into waterways.
- Stream Bank Erosion: loose soil or unstable stream banks can deliver phosphorus into waterways,
Impacts of Phosphorus Pollution:
- Reduced water quality: Excess phosphorus makes water cloudy, less clear, and aesthetically unappealing.
- Harm to aquatic life: Low dissolved oxygen levels, toxic algal blooms, and habitat destruction can lead to fish kills and the decline of other aquatic species.
- Public health concerns: Some algal blooms can produce toxins that pose risks to human and animal health.
- Quality of Life / economic concerns: Impaired water quality can negatively affect recreational activities like fishing, or impact the visual aesthetic of the natural environment.
Why develop a Water Quality Improvement Strategy?
The Town of Perinton has developed an Interim Water Quality Improvement Strategy for the Thomas Creek/Whitebrook watershed to serve as a guide for the implementation of additional Best Management Practices (BMPs) by Town staff to address and reduce Phosphorus as the pollutant of concern within the watershed. This interim strategy is a companion document to a Green Infrastructure Rapid Assessment Plan that was developed for the Thomas Creek Watershed in 2013.
The Town’s Interim Water Quality Improvement Strategy focuses on six (6) BMPs or strategy elements that are intended to help local officials and the public understand the sources and impacts of Phosphorus. These BMPs include:
1. Mapping: develop a comprehensive stormsewer system map that illustrates how stormwater run-off travels from developed areas to natural streams/wetlands.
2. Public Education & Outreach: provide the public with specific educational messages about the sources of Phosphorus pollution and how/what the Town is doing to address the impairment through the implementation of local laws.
3. Illicit Discharge Detection & Elimination: Update the comprehensive stormsewer system map to include land-uses for each location where the stormsewer system discharges to natural streams/wetlands.
4. Active Construction Site Inspection: Establish an enhanced frequency of when active construction sites will be inspected.
5. Pollution Prevention & Good Housekeeping: Initiate a specific schedule for street sweeping operations and stormsewer outfall / stream bank stability repairs.
6. Planned Upgrades to Municipal Facilities in Thomas Creek/Whitebrook Watershed: Incorporate, where feasible, cost-effective runoff reduction techniques during planned municipal upgrades including municipal right of ways. Examples may include bioswales, replacement of closed drainage with grass swales, replacement of the existing islands in the parking lots with bioretention areas or other low-cost improvements that provide runoff treatment or reduction.
