Riverside Park is Going Green!
More information can be obtained at the Ft Lauderdale web site and the "Conservation Pays" link.
Animal Waste
Thousands of miles of rivers and beaches in the United
States, including our own rivers and canals, are routinely tested and found to be teeming with bacteria linked to waste from humans, cattle, dogs, cats and wild birds. This has given rise to a new group of scientists called poop detectives, who are biologists using police methods to track down animal polluters. We all know what it feels like to step on a big pile of unwelcome ... well, you know. So don't be a careless polluter by throwing your pet's poop in the canal. Also, when walking your pet, carry a baggie for your pet's waste and dispose of it properly. Plastic bags from your daily newspaper or supermarket are perfect for that chore. Our children and lawn services will appreciate it!
As per City Code of Ordinances, Sec. 6-4(c), it is unlawful for a person to allow or permit a dog or other pet or domesticated animal with that person's control to deposit animal waste (except for law enforcement animals while on duty) upon any public or private property and to fail to promptly remove the animal's waste from the property.
Cigarette Litter
It is estimated that several trillion cigarette butts are littered worldwide every year. That's billions of cigarettes flicked, one at a time, on our sidewalks, beaches, nature trails, gardens, and other public places every single day. In fact, cigarettes are the most littered item in America and the world. Cigarette filters are made of cellulose acetate tow, not cotton, and they can take decades to degrade. Not only does cigarette litter ruin even the most picturesque setting, but the toxic residue in cigarette filters is damaging to the environment, and littered butts cause numerous fires every year, some of them fatal. What happens after that butt gets casually flicked onto the street, nature trail, or beach? Typically wind and rain carry the cigarette into the water supply, where the toxic chemicals the cigarette filter was designed to trap leak out into aquatic ecosystems, threatening the quality of the water and many aquatic life forms. Cigarette filters have been found in the stomachs of fish, birds, whales and other marine creatures that mistake them for food. Cigarette butts may seem small, but with several trillion butts littered every year, the toxic chemicals add up!
Hazardous Waste
Residents can drop off hazardous household items and
electronics at no charge with proof of residency at one of the following Broward
County collection sites:
• North Area (Pompano)
2780 N. Powerline Road (North of Copans Road on the east side)
Hours of Operation: Every Friday and Saturday from 8am to 4pm
• Central Area (Davie)
5490 Reese Road (At I-595 and Davie Road, go east on Reese Road)
Hours of Operation: Every Saturday from 8am to 4pm
• South Area (West Park)
5601 W. Hallandale Beach Blvd. (West of I-95 on the north side)
Hours of Operation: Every Friday and Saturday from 8am to 4pm
Sanitary System (Toilets)
The sanitary sewer system is essential to the protection of South Florida's water resources and the efficient transport of wastewater to the treatment plant. If improper items are flushed down the toilet and do make their way into the sewer pipes, they can then cause operational problems at the wastewater treatment plant. The most common items found in the sewer system that create backups, overflows or mechanical failures are rags, dental floss, dusters, underwear, and feminine hygiene products. You can help by never flushing anything other than toilet paper and waste down the toilet.
Solid Waste
Customers who follow the information in the new guide and initiate simple actions, including recycling, separating yard waste, properly setting out bulk trash items, and safely disposing of household hazardous waste, can play a significant role in making Fort Lauderdale a more beautiful, litter-free, more sustainable City. In addition, they can assist the City with maintaining its goal of reducing solid waste, managing resources, minimizing costs and offering convenient services to our residents in an environmentally friendly and efficient manner. See the solid waste city guide on the right.
Stormwater Pollution
Stormwater pollution is untreated water that drains from the surface of streets and yards through the 7,845 miles of the City's storm drain system. Water from rain, hoses and sprinklers picks up pollutants and floatables along the way and carries them to their final resting place -- the City's waterways. Pollutants and floatables include debris, cigarette butts, Styrofoam cups, fast-food wrappers, water mixed with chemicals, motor oil and car fluids, debris, yard and pet waste, leaking and improperly maintained septic systems, and pesticides. The effects of stormwater pollution are detrimental. Stormwater pollution poses a health risk, harms marine life, closes beaches, contaminates the ocean, impacts the economy, harms the environment, affects neighborhoods and property values, clogs gutters and catch basins, attracts rodents, and creates unpleasant odors.
Trash Management
See the neighborhood trash management guide to the right.
Irrigation Meters
If you use a large amount of municipal water for your sprinkler/irrigation system on a regular basis, you may want to consider placing your irrigation system on a separate irrigation meter from your household water meter, because your monthly sewer charges are based on your water usage delivered through your household water meter. However, sewer charges are not added to water used for irrigation, when provided through a separate irrigation meter.
All costs associated with adding an irrigation meter should be considered when evaluating whether the potential savings on sewer charges offset the costs of a establishing and maintaining a separate irrigation meter account.
The initial and continuing costs for an irrigation meter include:
1) Cost to evaluate and modify your irrigation system to be served from a new/separate meter, typically including extending a new service line from the new irrigation meter to your irrigation controller/manifold. These arrangements are made between the property owner(s) and their irrigation contractor or plumber (or DIY, if qualified), and a plumbing permit may be required, to help ensure the installation is safe and the proper backflow protections are provided.
2) Cost to install a new irrigation meter (installed by the City), depending on the size required [see note (a) below]; see Tapping Charges for meter installation cost based on the meter size required. For new accounts, a refundable Deposit [see note (b) below] is also required; deposit amounts are handwritten on the right side of the Tapping Charges sheet.
3) Monthly costs for irrigation water usage; see 'Commodity Charges - Sprinkling Meter Services' chart from the attached Monthly Charges. Rates listed are per 1,000 gallons of usage, and increase with certain substantial increases* in consumption, to encourage water conservation (*varies by meter size, per consumption ranges noted in the chart).
4) There is also a monthly availability charge per meter, regardless of water usage, to maintain availability of service; see second table titled 'Water Service Availability Charge' in the attached Monthly Charges for the irrigation meter monthly base charge (varies depending on meter size used).
Notes:
a) You may need to consult with your sprinkler contractor and/or plumber to determine your existing or proposed irrigation needs and/or maximum flow rates required (in gallons per minute). That will help determine your required irrigation meter size, and to estimate meter installation costs, as described above.
b) Deposits are refunded after 12 months of timely payments for owners and 24 months for tenants (or if the account is closed, the deposit is applied to the final water bill).
