Resources for Commercial Businesses

Resources for Commercial and Businesses

The Town of Sandown is doing its part to manage stormwater. However, everyone working in Sandown can help manage stormwater and prevent water pollution. The following practices will help reduce the volume of stormwater created and help prevent pollutants from coming in contact with stormwater. Click the links below to learn more!

• Use fertilizers and pesticides sparingly to minimize water quality impacts. Fertilizers contain nutrients such as phosphorus and nitrogen that can cause too much plant growth such as algae in waterbodies. This can lead to problems with boating, fishing, shellfish harvesting and swimming.
• Practice good lawncare techniques – leave lawn clippings on the ground, as they decay, they provide a natural fertilizer to the ground. Piles of old grass clippings can cause nutrients and bacteria to enter waterbodies. Clean up leaves in the fall to keep them out of waterbodies. 
• Minimize water usage to conserve water. Create a compost pile or bin to use as localized fertilizer but keep it away from wetlands and waterbodies.
• Manage winter salt application and storage. Cover stockpiles of salt for use in winter road maintenance. Limit the amount of salt applied. Sweep and properly dispose of any visible salt deposits once the application surface or storage area has dried.
• Practice proper building maintenance – do not use detergent if possible, or use only the smallest amount necessary for the job. Try to minimize or prevent wash water from entering the drainage system or a waterbody.
• Use a commercial car wash or wash your car on a lawn or other unpaved surface to minimize the amount of dirty, soapy water flowing into the storm drain and/or waterbody.
• Encourage infiltration by installing infiltration-based features such as rain gardens and bioswales.
• Sweep paved roads, parking lots, and storage areas with a type of vacuum sweeper that incorporates HEPA filtration or other high efficiency method of filtration of the exhaust air from the sweeper to trap the very fine metallic particles found in road or parking lot dust reduce these discharges to storm water.