Save our water

Per EPA
Use nontoxic household products. Want to reduce the number of chemicals in your home and in your waterways? Start by purchasing nontoxic household products such as nontoxic cleaning supplies, laundry products, paints, insecticides, and pool chemicals. If your local store does not carry nontoxic products, ask them to start.

Dispose of hazardous household products properly. Don't toss hazardous household chemicals down the drain. Contact your local public works, sanitation, or environmental health department and find out if your city has a hazardous waste collection day. If your city doesn't have a local program, ask them to start one.

Save water. Don't let the water run while brushing your teeth or washing your face. Run your dishwasher and washing machine only when they are full. Fix leaky plumbing fixtures and switch to low-flow toilets and showerheads. Changing small habits can save more than 100 gallons of water a week.

Recycle. Deposit waste in a trash can. Never flush non-degradable products or sweep debris into the street or storm sewer. Trash can damage city sewer systems and end up littered on beaches and in your water.

Don't flush old prescription drugs down the drain (unless directed). Wastewater treatment plants are unable to remove drugs from sewer system water and they end up in our rivers and streams.

Don't let pollutants go down the drain, inside OR outside. Urban waters take on large amounts of pollution from a variety of sources, including polluted runoff from urban landscapes, which creates public and environmental health hazards. Remember, what goes on the ground and down your drain eventually ends up in the water. Don't dump oil, gasoline, solvents, paint, or other household chemicals down your household drains or storm drain.

Recycle used motor oil and maintain your car. Throwing motor oil in the trash is illegal and harmful to your water source. Recycling centers and many service stations accept used motor oil for recycling. Also, be sure to keep up with regular car maintenance to prevent oil, coolant, antifreeze, or other hazardous chemicals from leaking onto the ground.

Take your car to a car wash. A commercial car wash reclaims its wastewater using special filtration systems. This not only conserves water, but minimizes polluted runoff entering local storm drain.