The 4th of July has come and gone, but the cleanup isn’t over yet.
As you drive around town, you may notice firework debris on the road or on sidewalks.
Scottsbluff City Stormwater Specialist and Floodplain Manager Leann Sato says fireworks have three major persistent contaminants in them and they negatively impact humans and animals.
Sato says that water going into the storm drains gets fed into the North Platte River without being treated and is then used for irrigation so it is important that we keep contaminants out of it.
You can help out by making sure all of the debris from your fireworks are cleaned up from your yard and sidewalk as well as the street by your house.
Sato recommends sweeping up your launch area and making sure all firework debris is thrown away in plastic bags, adding that none of the debris is recyclable because of the residual chemicals.