For Businesses

Clean water is everyone's business. As water flows from parking lots, lawns, and plant beds, it collects pesticides, oils, chemicals, and other pollutants. The storm drains on or near your property are connected to MSD's storm sewers, which flow directly to the nearest stream. 

Helpful Guidelines 

Businesses in the Town of Black Mountain can help protect water quality by establishing and following some simple procedures.

  • Clean up any car fluid with absorbent material (i.e. cat litter), sweep up, and place in the trash. Do not hose into any gutters or storm drains.
  • Clean up any trash and litter around your property.
  • Dispose of any engine oil, paint, fertilizers, pesticides, and other chemicals and hazardous materials properly.
  • Do not wash vehicles where runoff could enter a storm drain.
  • Don't clean paintbrushes or rinse paint containers into a street, gutter, ditch, creek, stream or storm drain. Water-based paints should be cleaned in the sink. Oil-based paints should be cleaned with paint thinner and then filter and reuse the paint thinner.
  • Don't dump mop water and other cleaning water into parking lots or storm drains. Pour mop water or other cleaning water down sinks and/or toilets instead, where it will flow into MSD's wastewater treatment facility.
  • Leaves and other lawn or yard waste should never be blown or raked into the street, ditch, gutter, stream, creek, or storm drain.
  • Inspect and label storm drain inlets. Identifying storm drain inlets on your property alerts employees that no dumping is allowed.
  • Keep dumpster lids closed and make sure the dumpster does not leak. Never pour liquids into the dumpster.
  • Never dump grease or waste into storm drains. Store grease containers away from storm drains to prevent any spills.
  • Train all employees on proper disposal methods for the wastes that the business generates.
  • Use fertilizers, weed killers, pesticides, and/or any other chemicals only as needed. Sweep up any dried residues and place them in the trash. Dispose of hazardous wastes properly. Never hose any chemicals into streets, ditches, gutters, streams, creeks, or storm drains.


*Information on this Web Page excerpted from City of Concord, Copyright 2019, and City of Winston-Salem, Copyright 2006-2020