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.
Collection and Disposal of Household Chemicals
Have you had leftover chemicals that have spoiled or 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.
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 the manufacturer’s instructions when applying chemicals. If you use too much, and when 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 Opa-locka to use the various tips described here; this will improve our quality of life!