Maintenance: Keep up with car maintenance to reduce leaks of oil, coolant, antifreeze and other hazardous fluids. A single quart of motor oil can pollute 250,000 gallons of drinking water. If you don’t have a place to recycle used motor oil in your community, ask your local sanitation or public works department to create one. 

Washing: Be “green” when washing your car. Skip the home carwash and take your car to a professional carwash as they’re required to treat the water before it is discharged. This spares our local rivers and lakes from the brake fluid, oil and automotive fluids that could otherwise contaminate our water. Many carwashes also recycle their wastewater, and use less than half the amount of water a home carwash does. Ask around to find a carwash that practices wastewater recycling. Alternatively, you can “wash” your car at home using a waterless carwash product.

Use Fertilizers and Other Chemicals With Care!

There are many ways to care for your yard and garden without harming our freshwater resources. Changing the methods and the products you use are great ways to reduce the amount of stormwater pollution that runs off from your property. 

Here are a few tips: 

• If you typically apply fertilizer to your lawn, get a soil test first to determine what nutrients it really needs. This will save you money and will keep unused nutrients from flowing into the watershed where they can create algae blooms, lowered oxygen levels, and ammonia which is toxic to fish. 
• If you apply fertilizer to your yard, keep in mind that fertilizer is most effective when used in the late spring (May-June) or mid-fall. Fertilizing too often or applying too early can result in the grass being unable to absorb the fertilizer. 
• If you're looking for an alternative to the traditional fertilizers and pesticides, there are two common programs that are recommended - organic or reduced-risk. Find more information on these options on the Respect Our Waters website. 
• Mulch leaves into your yard instead of raking them. Not only does this save time and energy, but it provides a layer of protection for your yard through the winter and provides nutrients in the spring. 
• Use shredded yard waste such as grass clippings or leaves as a mulch cover for your garden beds to protect them during the winter and also start your gardening year off right with extra nutrients. Take care to always chop leaves before using them as mulch so that water can still reach the soil in the winter. 
• If you are going to rake, be sure to bag up your leaves. Raking them into the street or the gutter will cause blockages in storm sewers and drains.