Where does stormwater go?

Would you go to the beach and dump a gallon of oil or paint into the water?  How about a shovel full of dog poop? If you dump waste oil, paint, pet waste into the storm drain by your home, you are doing the same thing. What goes into the storm drain by your house goes into the local ponds and Mountain House Creek and Old River; it does not go to a treatment plant.

What can I do to help?

There are a few simple ways that residents and businesses can help reduce the number of pollutants entering our waterways.

• Do not dump motor oil, antifreeze, or other hazardous materials on the ground or into sewers. Recycling programs are available for these hazardous materials, and many service stations accept used motor oil for recycling.
• When cleaning your driveway, dock, or parking lots, use a broom instead of water and dispose of debris in the trash, not in the street or storm sewer.
• Do not dump branches, leaves, or grass clippings along creek beds, in open ditches, or the street.
• Minimize the use of herbicides, pesticides, and fertilizers on your lawn and plant native plants whenever feasible to lessen the need for herbicides.
• Please pick up litter and place it into trash cans. This will prevent it from getting washed into the storm sewers and eventually into our waterways.
• Cover piles of dirt and wood mulch while doing landscaping projects, and sweep up debris (do not wash it into the street).