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Stormwater Pollution Prevention Tips

  • Cars create lots of storm water pollution. When possible, walk or ride your bike instead of riding in the car. 
  • If you spill motor oil on the driveway, soak it up with kitty litter, sweep it up and take it to your household hazardous waste center.
  • Visit a different creek every month! Leave the creek and its banks a little cleaner than they were when you came.
  • Reduce, reuse and recycle whenever you can. The animals and plants on the rivers and creeks are counting on you.
  • Buy household and garden products that are "least toxic" to the environment. 
  • The UC Master Gardeners will teach you how to garden organically or will help you find substitutes for chemical pesticides. Visit their web site at: www.ipm.ucdavis.edu.
  • Clean your sidewalks and patios with a broom, dustpan and garbage can instead of washing them with the garden hose. 
  • Don't over-water lawns and gardens after applying commercial products. Over-watering can send large amounts of pesticides and fertilizer directly into storm drains. 
  • Instead of using pesticides, encourage "good bugs" to live in your garden. Good bugs, like ladybugs, love to eat "bad bugs" like aphids.