Clean Up Rivers Without Leaving Home (res19)
by Rita O'Connell, MN Pollution Control Agency
I'd like to describe simple things that YOU can do that will greatly help efforts to protect the waters near where you live - both ground water and surface water.
Almost anything you put on the ground surface can end up in the ground water (if it sinks into the ground) or end up in nearby lakes, rivers, streams, and wetlands (this happens most quickly if the pollutants run off, but can also happen if they sink into the ground and then move toward a nearby surface water).
If you want to help protect those waters, the practices described below are just a few of those that will help minimize the amount of nutrients (phosphorus and nitrogen, especially) and toxic substances (petroleum, household chemicals, etc.) which escape to contaminate the environment.
Around the house or apartment: Don't flush household chemicals and paints down the drain. Use them up according to label instructions or take them to a household hazardous waste collection (contact your county's solid waste officer for information). If you have a septic system, be sure that it is designed and working properly, and that you have the tank pumped regularly.
In Your Yard: Use low or zero phosphorus fertilizer (most lawns already have enough). Phosphorus is the middle number on a fertilizer bag; look for 3 or less. Have your soil tested so that you know what fertilizer levels are best. Use pesticides and fertilizers sparingly or try organic gardening which uses no synthetic pesticides or fertilizers. Use a non-motorized mower if your lawn is small. Choose plants that don't require lots of fertilizers and pesticides (especially local native species). Seed or mulch areas where soil might wash away. Leave 15 to 25 feet of plantings or unmowed grass along the shores of water bodies. Leave lawn clippings on the lawn (leaving them on the lawn is the equivalent of one fertilizer application per year) or compost them. Keep all lawn clippings, fertilizers, and fallen leaves off driveways, sidewalks, and streets (since the next rainfall will wash them into the nearest storm sewer or ditch where they'll then wash into a lake, stream, river, or wetland). Don't leave pet waste on the driveway, sidewalks or streets. Throw it in the trash, flush it down the toilet, or bury it. Don't let anything but water from rain and snow enter the storm drains and ditches.
Your Motor Vehicles: Keep your vehicle tuned. A well tuned car uses as much as 20% less gasoline. Keep your tires properly inflated - you'll use less gas that way. Repair leaks - puddles of leaking fluids eventually sink into the soil or are washed into surface waters. Never dump motor oil, antifreeze, battery acid or other house or auto chemicals on the ground or down the drain. Most oil change centers will accept your used motor oil, or call your county solid waste officer for more recycling and disposal information. Drive less - the most polluted runoff comes from heavily traveled streets and highways as the leaks from cars and trucks, and minuscule particles of worn off tire and brake lining materials get washed directly into surface waters.
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