No blowing your leaves into the storm drain - that's "dumping," and it's illegal! You can report it here in Va Beach: (757)563-1470.
Instead of blowing it away, compost it, put it on the curb in appropriate lawn waste bags, or MULCH IT! You can find the city's site regarding yard debris here. This kind of debris can really clog up your storm drains and contribute to flooding during rain events.
Additionally, once the leaves reach the water (because you all know, everything that goes down the drain runs straight to the river (unless it's clogged!), all of that biological material breaking down can lead to eutrophication (i.e. algal blooms and fish kills). See the diagram below. This is bad news all around, so please make sure your neighbors know not to blow their leaves into the water or storm drain - they make wonderful compost, after all! :)
If there is debris (non-diseased) that you can leave in place, that's wonderful, too, as many beneficial critters and insects leave their eggs (like our wonderful office preying mantis!) on this debris to overwinter.
http://chemistry.tutorvista.com/
Reprinted from Fall 2014 Pearl Homes e-news, written by Trista Imrich, LRNow Pearl Homes Coordinator
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