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Tips to Prevent Storm Water Pollution
1. Remember to turn off your sprinklers when it rains to avoid excess water runoff. No matter how much you water it, concrete will not bloom! Prevent runoff and save the water for your plants!
2. Don’t apply pesticides, fertilizers and herbicides before it rains. Contrary to popular belief, the rain won’t help to soak these chemicals into the ground; it will only help create polluted runoff into our local creeks.
3. Select native and adapted plants and grasses that are drought and pest resistant. Native plants require less water, fertilizer, and pesticides. You can learn more about native and adapted plants on the Texas SmartScape web site. Click here.
4. Reduce the amount of paved area and increase the amount of vegetated area in your yard. Vegetation can help act as a natural filter for polluted storm water runoff.
5. Bag your pet’s waste don’t just leave it there. Leaving pet waste on the ground increases public health risks by allowing harmful bacteria to wash into the storm drains and into local waterways.
6. If you change your car’s oil, NEVER dump it on the ground or in the storm drains; check with your local Auto Parts Store for a disposal location.
7. Check your car, boat, or motorcycle for leaks. Clean up spilled fluids with an absorbent material; don’t rinse the spills into the storm drain.
8. Don’t dispose of grass clippings and other yard waste by dumping it or sweeping it into the storm drain system or creeks; this will cause depleted oxygen for aquatic life. Instead, try composting your yard waste. (*This item is enforced by city ordinance*) View Ordinance No. 844-4-200 - Section 16.30
9. When washing your car at home, wash with only water or use biodegradable soap and wash it on a lawn or other unpaved surface; better yet, take your car to a car wash. Did you know that a car wash actually uses less water on average than you do washing it in the driveway?
10. Don’t get rid of old or unused paint by throwing it down the storm drains; dispose of paint and other household hazardous waste at recycling facilities.
11. Don’t pump your pool water into the storm drain, pool chemicals (like chlorine), can be hazardous to our creek habitats and wildlife. Instead, drain your pool into the sanitary sewer system where it can be treated.