Home habits for healthy watersheds
Your daily habits can prevent water pollution and create healthy watersheds
When it rains, water washes everyday pollutants—like motor oil, pool chemicals, paint, and yard waste—off our properties and into storm drains. This water isn’t treated and flows straight into local rivers and streams, where it can harm fish, wildlife, and people. This is called illicit discharge.
The good news? Small actions at home can make a big difference in protecting our waterways.
Household sources of illicit discharge
Learn about common sources of illicit discharge and how you can prevent harmful substances from entering our waterways. Understanding the proper way to clean up household messes can also help protect water quality.
Practice care during cement work
When working with cement, take precautions to prevent illicit discharge.
- Use drip pans and drop cloths to catch washwater spills.
- Set up washout areas with leak‑proof containers placed on a lawn area at least 15 feet away from storm drains and pavement that drains into untreated waterways.
- Never release concrete washwater onto pavement or into sewer systems. This sends fine cement particles and sediment into streams, which:
- Increases turbidity (cloudiness of water)
- Raises pH levels
- Harms aquatic habitats by clogging fish gills and disrupting reproduction
- Dispose of leftover waste materials properly at the landfill
Responsibly dispose swimming pool water
Before draining a swimming pool:
- Wait at least 10 days after adding chemicals so they have time to break down.
- Drain the water onto a flat, grassy area at least 15 feet away from storm drains, or discharge it into a sanitary sewer system if allowed.
- Do not drain pool water during or just before rain, as runoff can carry pollutants into storm drains.
Safely dispose of chemicals and paint
Keep household chemicals, paints, and other hazardous materials in a safe, well‑ventilated spot inside your garage or home. Store them away from children, pets and anything that could catch fire.
If you have old or unused cans of paint or other hazardous products, take them to your local Household Hazardous Waste facility for proper disposal. Never dispose of them in storm drains!
Properly maintain septic tanks
Maintain your septic system regularly.
Routine inspections and pumping help prevent cracks or failures that can leak untreated wastewater into nearby streams.Prevent contamination from old systems.
If you have an unused or aging septic tank, contact your local municipality for guidance on connecting to the public sewer system and properly decommissioning the old tank.
Practice better vehicle‑care habits
- Catch spills during car maintenance Use an oil pan or drip tray to collect used motor oil and other fluids whenever you work on your vehicle.
- Address leaks promptly If your vehicle leaks fluids and is parked on pavement, repair the leak as soon as possible or regularly absorb the drips with materials like kitty litter.
- Wash your car responsibly Wash your car at a commercial car wash (where wastewater is properly treated), or wash it on your lawn so the grass can help filter soap and road grime before it reaches storm drains.
Keep yard waste out of storm drains
Yard waste that washes into storm drains can block water flow and cause street flooding. Then, when yard waste enters a water system it releases phosphorus, nitrogen and other lawn chemicals. This leads to algae blooms that make recreation areas unpleasant and can harm fish and aquatic life.
Here are water-wise ways to handle yard waste:
- Return clippings and leaves to your lawn
Blow, sweep, or rake them back so they can break down naturally and act as fertilizer. - Bag or compost yard waste
Collect it for pickup or add it to your compost bin to reuse it safely.
Clean up after yourself
Even small amounts of substances like paint, oil, or cleaners can wash into storm drains and pollute rivers, lakes, and groundwater. Cleaning up these messes is important to protecting our water quality.
Absorb the spill
Use cat litter, baking soda, wood shavings, or sand to soak it up.
Sweep and dispose
Sweep up the saturated material, bag it, and place it in the trash.
Scrub the area
Use a stiff brush with dish soap and water to clean any residue.
Remove stains
For concrete spills, use a commercial concrete cleaner. For oil stains, spray with WD‑40, let it sit, then rinse.
Dispose of hazardous waste properly
Take chemicals labeled “hazardous,” along with empty bottles or leftover product, to your local Household Hazardous Waste drop‑off facility.