All the villages, towns, cities and several special districts in Arapahoe County, as well as the County itself, are responsible State Permit holders and work with businesses and the public to reduce the pollution that may make it into the local creeks. Pollution can come from litter, excess fertilizer use and pet waste left behind. When it rains, all this pollution washes into a storm drain and flows directly to the local creeks. Storm drains do not take runoff to a treatment plant. To promote best practices to keep water clean your local governments have banded together to create a cooperative group called SPLASH, or...
Stormwater Permitteesfor Local Awareness of Stream Health.
Why is there a straw in Geneva Lake?
The straw was installed to remind and encourage residents to think about your drink: what can you do at your home, school, and business to protect the water that you use every day? Rain that falls on impervious (hard) surfaces such as streets and parking lots can pick up trash, oil, lawn fertilizer, pet waste and other pollutants as it travels. These pollutants are carried to the storm drainage system, which drains directly into our local water bodies, untreated. Polluted rain runoff, or stormwater, compromises the quality of the water that is used for drinking and other uses.
How can I protect lakes and streams in my community?
Everyday actions have an impact on the water quality of our lakes and streams. Common substances left on streets and sidewalks such as leaking automotive fluids, nutrients from lawn fertilizer, pet waste, and cigarette butts tossed outside are just a few of the types of things that often enter streams and lakes through the storm drain system that can harm aquatic life and people that use the water downstream. Regular vehicle maintenance, using phosphorous-free fertilizer, picking up after your pet, and properly disposing of trash are some of the actions you can take to protect and improve local water bodies. Read more about pollution prevention on our education page.
This straw encouraging residents to "think about your drink" is located in Geneva Lake in Littleton, Colorado
H2Only means that only rain water should enter the storm drains
What is H2Only?
The H2Only message is a call to action: To ensure that we can continue to use the water in our lakes and streams for drinking, recreation, and other uses, only rain water should enter the storm drains. H2Only was developed by the Barr Milton Watershed Association for the Denver metropolian area. SPLASH (Stormwater Permittees for Local Awareness of Stream Health) is a group of local water professionals that has adopted the H2Only message in an effort to protect and enhance the water quality in South Metro Denver.
Permittees: Southeast Metro Stormwater Authority (SEMSWA) including Centennial, Inverness WSD, and East Cherry Creek Valley WSD, Arapahoe County Water and Wastewater Authority (ACWWA); Arapahoe County; Englewood; Littleton; Glendale; Greenwood Village; Cherry Hills Village; Columbine Valley; E-470 Authority; Goldsmith Metro District; Cherry Creek State Park and Colorado Department of Transportation.
