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WATER
“EVERY DROP YOU LOSE, NATURE
FINDS”
Help Prevent Stormwater
Pollution
POLUTION SOURCES—PET WASTE
Not MY Pet! My pet
can’t be part of a water pollution problem. My pet is a member of our family.
He watches TV with me and sleeps on my lap!
Of course, it’s not your pet alone, and sure, you
keep your pet clean. The pollution results when we add all of our pets
together.
Pet waste is a major source of bacteria and
excess nutrients in our local waters. When walking your pet, remember to pick
up the waste and dispose of it properly. Flushing pet waste is the best
disposal method. Pet waste should be picked up and placed in a bag, sealed, and
put in the trash receptacle. Leaving pet waste on the ground increases public
health risks by allowing harmful bacteria and nutrients to wash into the storm
drain and eventually into local waterbodies.
SO WHY PICK ON DOGS?
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
reports from their studies that 2-3 days’ worth of pet waste from just 100 dogs
in a 20 sq. mile area can contribute enough bacteria to temporarily close a
bay to swimming and shell fishing. Dogs present a special problem since they
are built to eat almost anything; they have an especially large number of
intestinal bacteria to digest that wide variety of food.
Dogs have 23,000,000 grams of intestinal
bacteria compared to cows - 230,000, horses -12,600, Wild Rabbits - 20, and
mice—330,000. Yes, there are animals in nature that create waste. We can’t
control the disposal of their waste but WE CAN take responsibility for the
disposal of our pet’s waste. We shouldn’t ignore what we can control. Let’s
all work to do our part to prevent water pollution.
PRESCRIPTION MEDICINE DISPOSAL
What is the proper disposal method for expired,
unused or excess prescription drugs from the home? This issue of drug disposal
is gaining recent attention, given some studies that have been done on water
contamination from flushing drugs down the drain. From a regulatory standpoint,
personal medications disposed of from a home are not regulated by Ohio EPA as a
hazardous waste.
SEVEN
STEPS TO SAFELY DISPOSE OF PRESCRIPTION & OVER-THE COUNTER DRUGS FROM THE E.P.A.
Please use these practical guidelines when
disposing of prescription and over-the-counter medicines:
For Pills & Liquids:
1. Keep the medicines in the original
container. This will help identify the contents if they are accidentally
ingested.
2. Mark out your name and prescription number
for safety.
3. For pills: add some water or soda to start
dissolving them. For liquids: add something inedible like cat litter, dirt, or
cayenne pepper.
4. Close the lid and secure with duct or
packing tape.
5. Place the bottle(s) inside an opaque (non
see-through) container like a coffee can or plastic laundry bottle.
6. Tape the container closed.
7. Hide the container in the trash. Do not put
in the recycle bin.
DO NOT give the drugs to anyone else.
NEVER flush drugs down the toilet
DO NOT put drugs in the trash without
disguising them—human or animal scavengers may find them and misuse them.
FERTILIZING
YOUR YARD—LESS IS BEST!
Excess fertilizers and pesticides applied to
lawns and gardens wash off and pollute streams. In addition, yard clippings and
leaves can wash into storm drains and contribute nutrients and organic matter to
streams.
Use pesticides and fertilizers sparingly. When use
is necessary, use these chemicals in
recommended amounts. Use organic mulch or safer
pest control methods whenever possible.
READ THE LABEL. The best place to start with
fertilizer use is to read the label. All bags of
fertilizer have three numbers on them (i.e.
15-0-15) The first number is the percentage of
nitrogen, the second is phosphorus and the third is
potassium.
Choose lawn fertilizer that is very low in
phosphorus. Zero is even better. Phosphorus is
causing serious problems and is expensive to remove
once it gets into the water.
It is actually okay not to fertilize at all and it
certainly isn’t necessary to fertilize routinely. Most
lawns can draw the nutrients they need from
clippings that fall back into the grass after mowing.
Don’t overwater your lawn. Consider using a
soaker hose instead of a sprinkler.
Compost or mulch yard waste.
Do not sweep or blow grass
clippings into the street or sweep them into storm drains or streams.
Cover piles of dirt or mulch being used in
landscaping projects.
AUTO CARE:
WASHING
CHANGING FLUIDS
Washing your car and degreasing auto parts at
home can send detergents and other contaminants through the storm sewer system.
Dumping automotive fluids into storm drains has the same result as dumping the
materials directly into a waterbody.
Use a commercial car wash that treats or recycles
its wastewater OR wash your car on your yard so the water infiltrates into the
ground.
Repair leaks and dispose of used auto fluids and
batteries at designated drop-off or recycling locations—DO NOT dump into storm
drains.
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RAIN
BARRELS & RAIN GARDENS
Almost every home owner has occasionally been
stumped about what to do with excess water washing across the yard during and
after a rainstorm.
Rain barrels can be used to collect rainwater
from rooftops in mosquito-proof containers. The water can be used later on lawn
or garden areas.
A rain garden is a specially landscaped area
designed to capture and hold excess water for a short period allowing it to soak
into the soil. The garden is planted with vegetation (i.e. violets, canna lily,
black-eyed Susan, ferns) that prefers a slightly wetter environment but can
tolerate dry times too. Rains gardens are easy to maintain and many plants
attract birds and other wildlife. Villages have more roofs, driveways, lawns, &
highways and the water that once filtered into the underground water supplies
now runs to the nearest storm drains. Rain gardens & rain barrels are becoming
more popular because they provide a place for the water to “rest” while it is
absorbed. |
