Fall cleanup and leaf removal in Scarborough, Maine.

Scarborough holds a state MS4 stormwater permit and enforces a non-stormwater discharge ordinance, Chapter 903, because what enters its drains ends up in brooks and, eventually, the marsh. Leaves blown into the gutter wash toward catch basins that drain to water the town already lists as impaired, Phillips Brook and Red Brook among them.

A cleanup that gathers leaves onto tarps and hauls them off, rather than pushing them to the curb, keeps that load out of the drainage system entirely. The 2021 Comprehensive Plan also expects flooding to be worst in winter and spring, the season when a clogged culvert mouth or yard drain does the most harm, so swales and drains are cleared before the ground freezes.

The Maine Board of Pesticides Control points to fall as the time to plan for browntail moth. The overwintering webs form at branch tips in late August, and once oaks, apples and cherries lose their leaves the small silvery nests are easy to see. A cleanup visit is a good moment to note them so they can be clipped over the winter, before the caterpillars emerge in late April.

The finishing touches follow: perennials cut down, matted leaves pulled from crowns and shrub bases, and the final mow done before snow settles on the lawn.