ENVIRONMENTAL ADVISORY COUNCIL

The Case Against Using Gas-Powered Leaf Blowers

by Susanne Hay

In November, the last of fall leaves were removed from front lawns around the area by local landscaping workers and one couldn't escape the noise. These gaspowered leaf blowers have been around for a long time and they are dangerously outdated. Most gas-powered leaf blowers are of the two-stroke engine type,mixing together gas and oil in a combustion chamber in a highly inefficient and dirty way. The pollution they produce is “off the charts”: 30 minutes of use emits quantities of pollutants similar to a pick-up truck driving from Texas to Alaska. In other words, pollution is >120 times higher than from a truck or car. Gas-powered leaf blowers produce high levels of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs - (hydrocarbons such as formaldehyde and benzene, nitrogen oxide, and carbon monoxide) and particular matter, all of which seriously harm people's health. In addition, the 200 mile/hour winds emitted from the blowers spin up clouds of dust that include pollen,

Salt Content In Valley Creek

by Pete

On December 1, I presented a program to the Environmental Advisory Council and gave them an early draft of the fact sheet titled “Salt is Killing Valley Creek”. This was timely, as the EAC was already looking at salt pollution in different parts of Valley Creek, particularly and meaningfully in Crabby Creek. It was suggested during the discussion following the presentation that I write an article for the Township Newsletter on the topic. About 50% of Valley Creek runs through Tredyffrin before flowing into Valley Forge National Historical Park. Over the past 61 years, the salt concentration of the creek has increased dramatically. Please take a moment to study the graph included with this article, illustrating that dramatic and damaging increase.

But, you may ask, “What does Valley Creek becoming saltier have to do with me? I don't walk along the creek or go fishing in it.” On many levels, increased salinity is an everyone problem. But first, where is the salt coming from that is contaminating our fresh water? A Harvard study of a watershed similar to Valley Creek found that 50% of the salt came from parking lots, another 39% from roads, and 7% from salt piles. That directly points the finger to de-icing salt as the major contributor to the problem. So, again, the question is, “Why should I care?”

Everyone should care because this salt pollution affects us all. Some of us more than others but we are all affected.

The costs associated with using de-icing salts are well documented. For each ton of road salt used, it costs us as taxpayers and vehicle owners $728.00 for infrastructure mold, animal feces, heavy metals, and chemicals from pesticides and fertilizers.Furthermore, they are associated with massive noise pollution. The engines produce up to 100 db of low frequency noise, comparable to a plane taking off, which penetrates windows and glass doors. Extended exposure to 85 db or more will lead to permanent hearing loss.The risks are greatest to the workers of landscaping companies who use these engines every day for several hours, but the risk is also real for homeowners who use their backpack leaf blower just once a week, or to the neighbors who don't use them at all. There are several other options: Leave leaves alone, especially on garden beds, (with the added benefits of helping native pollinators overwinter and improving soil health). Rake leaves off the grass. and vehicle damage. Stated another way, the use of road salt costs us $25,000.00 per lane mile per year

Mow over the lawn to chop up the leaves.

Once salt gets into solution and into an aquifer, water supply wells and stream base flow, it is nearly impossible to remove and the cost to do so is prohibitively expensive. The cost of your tap water will increase as the salinity in our surface waters increases. The Flint, Michigan, water crisis was exacerbated by salt contamination chemically releasing lead from the pipes.

That brings me to another point: salt pollution of our fresh water drinking water sources. This isn't just a Valley Creek problem, although it seems to be worse here. It is a developed world problem, where transportation is impacted by winter weather. Some states have taken dramatic actions to reduce de-icing salt use. In the Valley Creek watershed, we are ever climbing closer to the US EPA's pollution limit of 230 mg/L. In some samples taken in early November this year from Valley Creek when the stream was at base flow, this threshold was significantly surpassed. This means that in some sections of the watershed, salt pollution is already over the EPA's threshold and is likely to get worse. This bodes badly for drinking water supplies and for stable rates from your water supplying utility.

Luckily, we still have time to do something about this pollution, but the solution is not going to be easy. We need to use less deicing salt — starting now. That will necessitate a change in the way we operate during and after winter storms governmentally, corporately, and individually. Our expectations cannot be

EMISSIONS FROM

Gas

POWERED

Leaf

BLOWERS SWITCHING TO ELECTRIC LEAF BLOWERS REDUCES HARMFUL IMPACTS FROM EMISSIONS AND NOISE POLLUTION ON COMMUNITIES AND THE LANDSCAPING WORKFORCE

USING A LEAF BLOWER FOR 30 MINUTES HYDROCARBON EMISSIONS FROM DRIVING FROM TEXAS TO ALASKA

BASED ON A TWO-STROKE LEAF BLOWER AND A PICKUP TRUCK NICOLE KELNER

Use electric leaf blowers and lawn mowers (which are just as powerful as gas-powered ones).

Also, last but not least, reach out to your landscaping contractor to switch to electric leaf blowers.

Sources: epa.gov; theatlantic.com; yaleclimateconnection.org for dry pavement an hour after the last snow flake falls, and maximum speeds on Route 202 and local roadways.

For more information on salt pollution of our fresh waters, please check out the Valley Forge Trout Unlimited website www.ValleyForgeTU.org or contact Pete Goodman at peteg5020@gmail.com.

Valley Creek Cloride Concentrations

<25 mg/l - Natural levels

25-50 mg/l - Initial stress for sensitive species up to 50 mg/l (recommended hazard/stress threshold in Ohio & Maryland 50-120 mg/l - Increased salt stress up to the Canada aquatic life long term toxicity threshold (120 mg/l)

120-230 mg/l - Salt stress between the Canadian & US aquatic life long-term/chronic toxicity thresholds

>230 mg/l - Exceeds U.S. chronic aquatic life toxicity threshold (230 mg/l)”

Note - the U.S. EPA specifies that the 4-day chloride average should not exceed the chronic aquatic life toxicity threshold (230 mg/l) more than once every three years. Environment Canada specifies that 24-96 hour chloride average should not exceed the long-term toxicity threshold (120 mg/l).