March 2019   |   Issue No. 17
Household Pollutant Disposal Special Event
   
A Household Pollutant Disposal Special Event is scheduled for Saturday, March 30, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the City of Tulsa's Household Pollutant Collection Facility, located at 4502 S. Galveston Ave.
 
In addition to the generally accepted items, tires, e-waste (fees may apply), medications and ammunition will also be accepted. For this event, citizens will not need to make an appointment as is normally required when disposing at the Facility.
 
The special disposal event is open to Tulsa residents and M.e.t. member communities. 
 
Citizens may also shop in the recently renovated Swap Shop at the Household Pollutant Collection Facility. The Swap Shop is stocked with items citizens have dropped off that are either new or barely used. Up to five items may be taken for free.
 
Back by popular demand! We are once again offering a discounted rain barrel for your home. You can pre-order a 55-gallon rain barrel and pick it up during the Special Collection Event. The deadline for ordering online is March 24. A limited number of rain barrels will be available for purchase during the event. Learn more  Learn more
 
For more information about household pollutant disposal, call (918) 591-4325.
 
Special Event Accepted Items:
  • Tires
  • E-waste (Televisions will have a $21 fee; monitors will have a $10 fee)
  • Ammunition
  • Medications
For a list of accepted and unaccepted materials, visit www.cityoftulsa.org/hpcf
 
*Note: due to the popularity of these special collection events, if you are only dropping off normally accepted items, it is recommended that you set up an appointment by calling (918) 591-4325 to avoid a long wait.
Species Spotlight: Minytrema Melanops (Spotted Sucker)

Found mainly in eastern Oklahoma, Spotted Suckers can be found in clear streams with wide pools that contain underwater vegetation and soft bottom layers. They are very intolerant to murky water and sensitive to pollution.
 
Spotted Suckers have downturned mouths that run horizontally and discernable black spots, one per scale, that run the length of the fish. They are usually small in size, but specimens found in lakes can reach upwards of three to five pounds.
 
Starting in late April and May when the water temperature reaches around 18 degrees Celsius, Spotted Suckers spawn in shallow rock-and-gravel-filled areas of the stream - just above the wide pools the Spotted Sucker calls home the rest of the year. The eggs released by the females take around 10 days to hatch.
 
At birth, Spotted Suckers feed directly on bottom materials. Young suckers feed together during the day while the adults are active mainly at dawn and dusk. Feeding mostly on organic debris and tiny organisms floating near the bottom of the stream, changes in the range and abundance of Spotted Suckers can be tied to changes in the stream that affect its food supply and feeding habits. Considered mature at three years old, the average lifespan of a Spotted Sucker is around four or five years with a maximum of six years.

Springtime for Homeowners

Whether it be by the first green patches of dandelions on a brown, dormant lawn or the first house fly buzzing around your living room, all home owners recognize the signs of springtime in northeastern Oklahoma. As exciting as spring is, it is also a time of mass herbicide and pesticide application in Tulsa, and the City of Tulsa Stormwater Quality Group would like to remind you to apply responsibly. Carefully following the application guidelines for the product you are using will help prevent excess fertilizer, herbicide or pesticide from being washed into creeks and streams, which causes water quality issues and damages our fish and wildlife. Over applying chemical treatments is a violation of the City of Tulsa ordinance and could result in a fine. Remember, storm sewer inlets in the City of Tulsa lead directly to creeks and streams without any form of treatment.

We would also like to encourage you to consider visiting the City of Tulsa Household Pollutant Collection Facility Swap Shop! Our Swap Shop contains hundreds of lightly used and new chemical products including fertilizers, pesticides, paints, cleaning solutions and vehicle fluids - just to name a few - and your first five items are free! It is open every Wednesday and Saturday during the normal operating hours of 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., no appointment necessary! The Swap Shop will also be open during our Special Collection Event on March 30. 
25th Annual Creek Clean-Up 


Save the date for the 25th annual Creek Clean-Up of Coal Creek on May 4, 2019, from 10:30 a.m. to Noon. The clean-up will be hosted by the Tulsa Zoo and will include prizes and a free lunch! Do your part in keeping this land grand by helping us clean up Tulsa! Trash bags and supplies will be provided. Be sure to visit www.cityoftulsa.org/sos as further details are coming soon! 

This event is a great opportunity to learn more about how we affect our environment and what small steps we can take to make a difference. We encourage families, businesses, organizations and classrooms to come take part and learn how we can Save Our Streams.


 
Education Spotlight

The best place to teach about the environment is, of course, in the environment, but our outdoor events are limited during the cold winter months, which makes now the perfect time for educational opportunities at indoor camps and classrooms.

This year, we've visited Whiteside Park Community Center Winter Day Camp, Hale Jr. High School and Rogers Jr. High School for environmental after-school programming. While visiting, we spoke to children about how they can play a role in keeping our streams clean and free of pollutants. They also learned about different types of pollutants, including grass and leaves, motor oil, pesticides, fertilizers, pet waste, and floatables (litter). They also got to see our interactive watershed, the Enviro-scape, to better understand how these pollutants affect our streams.

As we seek to reach the citizens of Tulsa through education and outreach, we are always looking for new opportunities to connect with an expanded audience. Do you have a great idea about how we can better spread our message of keeping our streams and rivers clean? Let us know at StormwaterQuality@cityoftulsa.org.

Copyright © City of Tulsa. All Rights Reserved.