What Can You Do To Protect Water Quality?

7 Steps to Cleaner Water

1. Pick up after your pet and throw the waste in the garbage. Pick up after your pet
2. Take your car to the car wash instead of washing it in the driveway. Car Washing
3. Check for and fix leaks in mechanical equipment.
4. NEVER dump anything down storm drains.  Take all unwanted chemicals, paint, oil, etc, to designated collection sites.
5. Use fertilizers sparingly and sweep up driveways, sidewalks, and roads. Lawn Care Practices
6. Maintain your septic system every 3-4 years.  Septic System Care
7. Compost your yard waste.

Other Tips:

• Other Common Household Practices
• Getting Involved in a Watershed Project
• Become an Advocate
• Report Pollution

What can we do to improve the infiltration of groundwater?

• Join the Southwest Michigan Water Quality Partnership by clicking here!
• Use and encourage others to use Low Impact Development 
• Direct your downspouts onto grass or other soft ground, away from pavement
• Vegetate bare spots in your yard
• Plant native, drought tolerant, erosion-controlling ground covers instead of lawns to reduce pesticide, herbicide, and fertilizer runoff.  For more information on using native plants visit http://www.for-wild.org/