What you can do to help

At home:

• Don’t dump non-storm water items – antifreeze, oil, paint – into storm drains;
• Wash your truck or car on a lawn or other unpaved surface to reduce direct runoff;
• Compost your yard waste;
• Pick up after your pet;
• Use fertilizers sparingly;
• Direct downspouts away from paved surfaces, use rain barrels, and/or add a rain garden to your landscape;
• Have your septic system pumped and inspected regularly.

During construction:

• Ensure that silt fencing and hay bales are properly maintained & replaced when needed;
• Cover or seed dirt stock piles that are not in use;
• Protect storm drains from sediment and pollutants;
• Stabilize slopes as soon as possible; increase the use of temporary seeding;
• Used phased clearing operations to keep unstable areas to a minimum;
• Seed early enough in the growing season to ensure adequate root growth before summer or winter dormant periods;
• Don’t allow clearing and grubbing to take place at the end of the growing season or during the winter.

Anywhere:

• Don’t dump, wash, or pump non-storm water items – antifreeze, oil, paint – into storm drains;
• Make sure all chemicals and other potentially hazardous materials are properly stored according to manufacturer’s instructions;
• Wash trucks on a lawn or other unpaved surface to reduce direct runoff;
• Report non-storm water dumping and erosion and sedimentation control issues to the Natural Resources Unit – 222-2023, ext 4097