Ten Things that help Protect our Water Quality
/- Don’t use antibacterial soaps or cleaning products when regular soap and water will do the trick. Much of the antibacterial soaps contain a registered pesticide that is known to harm marine life.
- Don't overuse pesticides or fertilizers. Many fertilizers and pesticides contain hazardous chemicals. These can travel through the soil and contaminate ground water.
- Properly dispose of prescription medications. Don’t flush unwanted or out-of-date medications down the toilet or drain. Your local health department can provide information on proper disposal.
- Properly dispose of hazardous products. Don't dump hazardous waste on the ground; it can contaminate the soil, which could also contaminate the ground water or nearby surface water.
- Find a watershed or wellhead protection organization or a source water collaborative in your community and volunteer to help. Help pick up litter on the streets that could end up going down the storm drain or seeping into our waterways.
- Choose nontoxic household products when possible, and take old or unused household hazardous waste to a local collection event. Many counties and communities provide free disposal.
- Pick up after pets.
- Use a commercial car wash - cleaning your car at home flushes dangerous chemicals down the storm drain and directly into our lakes and streams.
- Fix leaks that drop from cars and put liners in driveways to collect oil and other materials.
- Use rain barrels to catch rain water from your roof. The water collected can be used to water garden plants.