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What Individuals Can Do –
(from Ocean Conservancy web-site)
In General
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NEVER dispose of anything down a storm drain!
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Never throw trash on the street, and pick up street litter when you find it.
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Clean up after pets. Discard their wastes in trash cans.
Fertilizers and Pesticides
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Use fertilizers sparingly, if at all, and never apply fertilizers before a rainstorm.
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Instead of using pesticides, weed by hand, and create habitat to attract birds and insects that eat garden pests.
Household Hazardous Wastes
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Use less toxic alternatives, such as milk-based paints, natural cleaners, and pest repellents. Buy only as much paint and other chemicals as you need, and be careful not to spill them on the ground.
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Do not discard hazardous wastes, including paint, with the regular trash. Contact your local solid waste authority for approved hazardous waste disposal locations.
Automotive Wastes and Pollutants
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Keep your car properly maintained so that it doesn’t leak oil or other toxic fluids.
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Clean up spilled antifreeze, brake fluid, oil, and grease with absorbent materials. Do not hose them into the street or driveway.
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Put used oil and antifreeze in separate containers—never mix oil and antifreeze—and take them to a local service station to be recycled.
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Wash your car on the grass, which can help to filter out pollutants before they reach local streams.
What Communities Can Do
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Stencilling local storm drains with conservation messages reminds people of the cause-and-effect link between their actions and polluted water hundreds of miles away.
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Citizens’ groups and municipalities can encourage medium-sized landowners, such as golf courses and parks, to decrease pesticide and fertilizer use.
What Government Can Do
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The U.S. Congress should reauthorize the Clean Water Act to include funds for cities to upgrade their stormwater treatment systems.
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EPA should better regulate nonpoint source pollution, including concentrated animal feeding operations.
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EPA should develop a program that combines incentives and regulations to encourage nonpoint source polluters to reduce their pollution.
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EPA should develop regulations to encourage private property owners and farmers to employ best-management practices that reduce nutrient pollution.
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Municipalities should make sure they comply with the EPA’s National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit program, and improve their stormwater and sewer systems to reduce polluted water discharges.
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