CITY OF MANSFIELD STORM WATER MANAGEMENT
POLLUTION PREVENTION
AUTOMOTIVE WASTES
What Do Cars And Trucks Have To Do With Stormwater?
Cars and trucks actually have a lot to do with stormwater and water quality in general. The streets and highways we travel become waterways when it starts to rain.
We all learned that one of the most dangerous times to drive is shortly after a light rain has started to fall. The reason for this is that the cars and trucks we drive leak fluids as we drive along. These fluids enter cracks and spaces in the roadways, but are brought to the surface when it starts to rain making the roads very slick. If there is enough rainfall, these substances are eventually washed into our local waterways.
The maintenance of cars and trucks also has a potential impact on stormwater and water quality. Improperly maintained cars and trucks tend to leak more fluids than those that are well maintained. There is also the problem of how to dispose of waste materials from maintenance.
A list of locations in the City that can accept wastes from vehicle maintenance has been prepared. These locations collect and store these substances, and a recycling or disposal company picks them up. This is an environmentally friendly, and provides another source for these limited resources, assisting in decreasing our dependence on imported oil.
A voucher for the Environmental Collection Center located at 6400 Bridge Street, Fort Worth, Texas can be picked up from Nancy Cope from the Mansfield City Manager's office located on the 2nd floor of the City Hall. Please call the ECC at (817) 871-5257 before taking any materials over to be sure the materials will be accepted and to check for their hours of operation. The ECC will collect other household hazardous wastes, such as paints and solvents, as well. For additional information, i.e. transporting the materials, please visit the ECC website using the link above.
Other automotive products like tires, batteries, brake pads and rotors, etc... should also be disposed of properly at a facility, not in a ditch on the side of the road.
Keeping your car or truck well maintained not only reduces the potential for leaks, but also helps you get better gas mileage and reduces emissions. Vehicle emissions can also affect water quality because substances contained in the emissions will eventually fall back to the ground.
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