What You Can Do - Stormwater

What You Can Do

In Your Community

•  Help educate your neighbors, Get a group together to mark drainage inlets in your neighborhood with the "No Dumping - Drains to River" message.  Learn more...
•  Reduce automobile use by car-pooling, riding the bus, riding your bike or walking.
•  Wash your car at a commercial car wash, not on the street or driveway.
•  Support businesses in your community who offer or use least toxic alternative and practice pollution prevention.
•  Encourage others to reduce, reuse, and recycle whenever they can.
•  Participate in local events such as neighborhood cleanups and Tox-Away Day.

In Your Home

• When using chemicals, detergents and pesticides, use only the amount recommended by the manufacturerer and use them according to the directions.
• Purchase household and garden products and are "least toxic" to the environment.
• Avoid purchasing oil-based paint.
• Rinse out water-based (latex) paint brushes in the sink or dispose of them in the trash.
• Properly dispose of household hazardous wastes.

In Your Garden

• Purchase household and garden products that are "least toxic" to the environment.
• Sweep sidewalks and patios rather than hose debris into gutters.
• Avoid using pesticides or herbicides on your yard and garden.
• Garden organically or use alternatives to chemicals when possible.
• Do not over-water lawns and gardens.  Over-watering can flush large quantities of pesticides and fertilizer directly into storm drains.
• Take care of your lawn in an environmentally friendly way.  Donwload our booklet
• Green Landscaping (a large PDF file).

In Your Garage

• Have your car tuned-up regularly to make sure it is operating as cleanly as possible with no leaks of oil or other fluids.
• Find a location near you to recycle motor oil, antifreeze and other automotive fluids.
• Fix car leaks right away.  Use dry methods to clean up any fluids that have leaked.

Pesticides

• For the concerned citizen, EPA has a Web site devoted to information about pesticides.
• Or download a copy of the EPA's Citizen's Guide to Pest Control and Pesticide Safety (a very large PDF file).
• For local assistance in learning more about integrated pes management and the proper use of pesticides, contact City Utilities.