How to reduce stormwater pollution in your home & yard

 

 

1. Maintain your septic systems by having a licensed professional septic clean-out service pump your septic tank every 2-3 years, more frequently if necessary.
 

2. Watch for sewage surfacing on the septic tank drain field, sewage back-ups in the house, lush, green growth over the drain field, slow draining toilets or drains, sewage odors.
 

2. Conserve Water in your household by consolidating dishwashing and clothes washings.
 

3. Install water flow reduction valves in toilets or showers.

 

4. Capture rainfall by diverting the water from your roof top gutter system to raingardens and/or rain barrels.
 

5. Use bleach, disinfectants, drain and toilet bowl cleaners sparingly. Dispose leftover hazard household chemicals to your approved hazardous waste collection center.
 

6. Wash your car on your grass surface or permeable surface not on your paved, impervious driveway.
 

7. Direct roof runoff away from paved, impervious surfaces like your driveway or walkway and direct the run-off away from your septic tank and its drainage field.
 

8. Never pour any food, oils, chemicals, or pesticides into a catchbasin or storm drain. Dispose of all chemicals, pesticides, and oils at designated transfer stations or collect and hold for proper disposal at seasonally-held  household waste days directed by your town’s board of health agents.
 

9. Keep leaf litter and yard clippings from street gutters by mulching grass clippings into your lawn or by composting your leaf litter and yard clippings.
 

10. Compost in a dry, not wet area of your yard.
 

11.Have your grass surfaces tested for nutrient content to reduce unnecessary use of fertilizers.
 

12. Plant or seed your grassed yard with native seeds like native fescue. Let your lawn experience the wildness of a native wildflower garden.

 

13.Pick-up pet waste and dispose the pet waste by throwing the waste into your household trash for pick-up, or flush the pet waste into your toilet, (caution: do not put kitty litter into your toilet!), or bury the waste in a 8 inch-deep hole in your yard.

 

14.Spend more time outdoors, gardening, hiking, canoeing, kayaking, swimming, fishing, and nature watching.

 

Enjoy nature’s beauty that you helped preserve!