Lesson 1- What You Can Do To Prevent Nonpoint Source Pollution, Information Sheet
Acknowledgement: Taken from "Living on the Land 2001"

Urban Stormwater Runoff

• Keep litter, pet wastes, leaves, and debris out of ditches, especially those that drain directly to lakes, streams, rivers, and wetlands.
• Apply lawn and garden chemicals sparingly and according to directions.
• Dispose of used oil, antifreeze, paints, and other household chemicals properly, not in streets, storm sewers or drains. If your community does not already have a program for collecting household hazardous wastes, ask your local government to establish one.
• Clean up spilled brake fluid, oil, grease, and antifreeze. Do not hose them into the street where they can eventually reach local streams and lakes.
• Control soil erosion on your property by planting ground cover and stabilizing erosion-prone areas.

Agriculture

• Manage animal waste to minimize contamination of surface water and ground water.
• Protect drinking water by using less pesticides, including herbicides and fertilizers.
• Reduce soil erosion by using conservation practices and other applicable Best Management Practices.
• Use planned grazing systems on pasture and rangeland.
• Dispose of pesticides, containers, and tank rinseate in an approved manner.
• Fill and mix pesticide and fuel tanks on a concrete pad; store fuel and chemicals in lined storage areas only.

Household Chemicals

• Be aware that many chemicals commonly used around the home are toxic. Select less toxic alternatives. Use nontoxic substitutes whenever possible.
• Buy chemicals only in the amount you expect to use, and apply them only as directed. More is not better.
• Take unwanted household chemicals to hazardous waste collection centers; do not pour them down the drain. Pouring chemicals down the drain may disrupt your septic system or contaminate treatment plant sludge.
• Never pour unwanted chemicals on the ground. Soil cannot purify most chemicals, and they may eventually contaminate runoff.
• Use low-phosphate or phosphate-free detergents.
• Use water-based products whenever possible.
• Leftover household pesticide? Do not indiscriminately spray pesticides, either indoors or outdoors, where a pest problem has not been identified. Dispose of excess pesticides at hazardous waste collection centers.

Landscaping and Gardening

• When landscaping your yard, select plants that have low requirements for water, fertilizers, and pesticides.
• Cultivate plants that discourage pests. Minimize high maintenance grassed areas.
• Preserve existing trees, and plant trees and shrubs to help prevent erosion and promote infiltration of water into the soil.
• Use landscaping techniques such as grass swales (low areas in the lawn) or porous walkways to increase infiltration and decrease runoff.
• Other landscaping tips:

• Install wood decking, bricks or interlocking stones instead of impervious cement walkways.
• Install gravel trenches along driveways or patios to collect water and allow it to filter into the ground.
• Restore bare patches in your lawn as soon as possible to avoid erosion.
• Grade all areas away from your house at a slope of one percent or more.

• Leave lawn clippings on your lawn so that nutrients in the clippings are recycled and less yard waste goes to landfills.
• If you elect to use a professional lawn care service, select a company that employs trained technicians and follows practices designed to minimize the use of fertilizers and pesticides.
• Compost your yard trimmings. Compost is a valuable soil conditioner that gradually releases nutrients to your lawn and garden. Using compost will also decrease the amount of fertilizer you need to apply. In addition, compost retains moisture in the soil and thus helps you conserve water.
• Spread mulch on bare ground to help prevent erosion and runoff.
• Test your soil before applying fertilizers. Overfertilization is a common problem, and the excess can leach into ground water or contaminate rivers or lakes. Also, avoid using fertilizers near surface waters. Use slow release fertilizers on areas where the potential for water contamination is high, such as sandy soils, steep slopes, compacted soils, and verges of water bodies. Select the proper season to apply fertilizers; incorrect timing may encourage weeds or stress grasses. Do not apply pesticides or fertilizers before or during rain due to the strong likelihood of runoff.
• Calibrate your applicator before applying pesticides or fertilizers. As equipment ages, annual adjustments may be needed.
• Keep storm gutters and drains clean of leaves and yard trimmings. (Decomposing vegetative matter leaches nutrients and can clog storm systems, resulting in flooding.)

Septic Systems (covered in detail in the next lesson)

• Inspect your septic system annually.
• Pump out your septic system regularly. (Pumping out every three to five years is recommended for a three-bedroom house with a 1,000-gallon tank; smaller tanks should be pumped more often.)
• Do not use septic system additives. There is no scientific evidence that biological and chemical additives aid or accelerate decomposition in septic tanks; some additives may in fact be detrimental to the septic system or contaminate ground water.
• Do not divert stormdrains or basement pumps into septic systems.
• Avoid or reduce the use of your garbage disposal. (Garbage disposals contribute unnecessary solids to your septic system and can also increase the frequency your tank needs to be pumped.)
• Don't use toilets as trash cans! Excess solids may clog your drainfield and necessitate more frequent pumping.

Water Conservation

• Use low-flow faucets and shower heads, reduced-flow toilet flushing equipment, and water-saving appliances such as dish and clothes washers
• Repair leaking faucets, toilets, and pumps.
• Use dishwashers and clothes washers only when fully loaded.
• Take short showers instead of baths and avoid letting faucets run unnecessarily.
• Wash your car only when necessary; use a bucket to save water. Alternatively, go to a commercial car wash that uses water efficiently and disposes of runoff properly.
• Do not overwater your lawn or garden. Overwatering may increase leaching of fertilizers to ground water.
• When your lawn or garden needs watering, use slow-watering techniques such as trickle irrigation or soaker hoses. (Such devices reduce runoff and are 20-percent more effective than sprinklers.)

Other Areas Where You Can Make a Difference

• Clean up after your livestock and pets. Animal waste contains nutrients and pathogens that can contaminate surface water.
• Drive only when necessary. Driving less reduces the amount of pollution your automobile generates. Automobiles emit tremendous amounts of airborne pollutants, which increase acid rain; they also deposit toxic metals and petroleum byproducts into the environment. Regular tuneups and inspections can help keep automotive waste and byproducts from contaminating runoff. Clean up any spilled automobile fluids.
• Recycle used oil and antifreeze by taking them to service stations and other recycling centers. Never put used oil or other chemicals down stormdrains or in drainage ditches. (One quart of oil can contaminate up to two million gallons of drinking water!)

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