At Home
Your home can be the solution to pollution
When you look around at your community, you will likely notice that there is more land covered with housing than anything else. Every house has impervious surfaces (roofs, sidewalks, and/or driveways) that prevent water from soaking into the ground. The stormwater runoff that comes from these impervious surfaces picks up pollutants that have come from the air, lawn, gardens, vehicles, pets, and septic systems and washes them into our waterways. When you and your neighbors become H2O Heroes, you make a difference by reducing the pollutants that make their way to your local creeks and streams, and eventually Lake Ontario.
Car Maintenance
The Problem with Car Washing
When cars are washed on streets and driveways, dirty water enters storm drains and makes its way to local waterways. The wash water contains, among other things, detergent residue, heavy metals, and oil and grease. Other pollutants that can make their way to waterways from cars include residue from exhaust fumes, gasoline, heavy metals from rust, and motor oils.
How You Can Reduce Car Wash Pollution
Use a commercial car wash! The average homeowner uses 116 gallons of water to wash a car. Most commercial car washes use 60% less water for the entire process than a homeowner uses just to rinse the car. Some commercial car washes reuse water and all commercial car washes send the dirty water to a wastewater treatment plant for processing.
Minimize your water quality impact at home:
Use only biodegradable, phosphate-free, water-based cleaners.
Use a high-pressure, low-volume garden hose with a trigger nozzle to save water.
Wash on an area that absorbs water, such as gravel, or grass, which filters water before it enters groundwater, storm drains, or creeks.
Avoid washing cars on concrete or asphalt pavement.
When planning a car wash fundraiser, try developing a partnership with a commercial car wash facility or have the cars washed on a permeable surface. If you’re coordinating a charity car wash, look for ways to be an H2O Hero and divert the dirty water away from the storm drain.
Always empty wash buckets into sinks, toilets, or onto the lawn.
Motor Oil Environmental Impact
Improper disposal of used oil, which includes oil leaking from cars, contributes significantly to stormwater pollution. Used oil from a single oil change can pollute up to one million gallons of fresh water. The EPA estimates that American households generate 193 million gallons of used oil every year and improperly dump the equivalent of 17 Exxon Valdez oil spills every year. Oil that leaks from cars onto pavement will get washed into nearby storm drains and enter local waterways untreated. Never dump motor oil, antifreeze, transmission fluid, or other engine fluids down storm drains, into road gutters, on the ground, or into a ditch.
Prevent motor oil pollution:
Check your vehicle often for oil and fluid drips, and other leaks. When found, fix them promptly.
Use ground cloths or drip pans under your vehicle if you have leaks or are doing engine work.
Recycle used motor oil. Many vehicles and vehicle retail businesses must accept used motor oil and fluid from the public.
Clean up spills immediately. Use kitty litter or sand to soak up the liquid. Properly dispose of this material after the spill. Collect all used motor oil in containers with tight-fitting lids. Do not mix waste oil with gasoline, solvents, or other engine fluids. This contaminates the oil, which may otherwise be reused, and may form a more hazardous chemical.
Lawn Care & Landscaping
Fertilizer and Pesticide Use
Fertilizers used for lawns and gardens may contain nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. In Monroe County, most soil already has enough phosphorus to make our grass and plants grow.
In January 2012, a new law regarding lawn fertilizers became effective in New York State. In general, lawn fertilizers…
Cannot contain phosphorous unless a soil test indicates that it’s needed
Cannot be applied between December 1 - April 1
Cannot be applied within 20 feet of any surface water except where there is a vegetative buffer of at least 10 feet.
Fertilizer landing on sidewalks or paved areas must be immediately cleaned up and applied back on the lawn or containerized. Phosphorus can make its way through storm drains to nearby waterways, and eventually Lake Ontario. Too much phosphorus causes an excess of algae and other plant growth in our waterways.
Look for the zero. Fertilizer bags show a set of numbers representing nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium in that order. Make sure the middle number, which indicates phosphorus, is zero.
H2O Hero tips for Homeowners
Fertilize in early autumn only to supplement nitrogen.
Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for application.
Consider spot-treating your lawn with fertilizers and pesticides only as needed.
Dispose of unused phosphorus-containing fertilizers properly.
Mulch grass clippings or leave them on your lawn to provide a nitrogen-rich fertilizer.
Mow high to help control weed growth.
Sweep up grass clippings from roadways and driveways, and DO NOT dump grass clippings or other plant materials into streets, catch basins, or streams. The nutrients will leach from them and enter nearby waterways, spurring unwanted algae growth.
The fertilized soil that you create by composting leaves and grass clippings can be recycled in your yard and reused as a natural fertilizer.
Undisturbed (unmowed) vegetation along streams and drainage pathways will capture nutrients that wash off your lawn before they are discharged into the waterway. Low-cost conservation plants may be available in early spring from the Monroe County Soil and Water Conservation District and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.
Use proper pesticide notification signs and let your neighbors know. Call 585-753-PEST for more information and regulations.
Download the H2O Hero Lawn care and Landscaping brochure
Rain Gardens
Rain gardens are an easy and effective tool that we can use to help reduce stormwater runoff from residential properties. These gardens are strategically placed to intercept pollutant-laden stormwater runoff until it can be fully absorbed into the ground. Their design allows the rain garden to serve almost like a bowl that collects water from downspouts or overland flow across a property. The water is then able to slowly infiltrate into the underlying soil.
Rain gardens can come in all different shapes and sizes but are best when planted with native plants that are indigenous to our area. These plants require little maintenance once established, have deep roots that soak up lots of water, provide food and habitat to wildlife, and are beautiful.
Litter
Did you know that 10,000 tons of plastic end up in the Great Lakes each year?
Plastic gets into the lakes from litter, stormwater runoff, wastewater treatment plants, and runoff from farms. It is likely that some plastic fibers even enter the lakes directly from the air, possibly from clothing or the weathering of outdoor materials.
Plastics don’t decompose, and larger pieces can break down into smaller pieces as they get moved throughout a waterway. Pieces of plastics can injure or kill wildlife if they are ingested or if they become entangled or trapped in them. Tiny pieces of plastic can even end up in our drinking water. Beverage and food containers are among the most collected items during local watershed clean ups.
What can you do to help?
First, Reduce: Use fewer disposable and single-use plastic items such as shopping bags, bottles, straws, plastic cups, utensils, foam to-go containers, and egg cartons.
Then, Reuse: If you have to use plastic shopping bags or containers, use them multiple times!
Finally, Recycle: There is a limited demand for recycled materials so reducing the amount that needs to be recycled is the most important step. Help support community recycling by using products made with recycled materials.
When you do recycle - Do It Right!
Items should be clean, dry, and empty so as not to contaminate the material and make it unable to be reused. Plastic caps should be attached to bottles and jugs. Remember items like plastic bags, foam, textiles, electronics, scrap metal, print cartridges, and pharmaceuticals cannot be recycled curbside but they can be brought to the Ecopark for recycling. https://www.monroecounty.gov/ecopark/. To learn more about recycling click here. And remember, don’t litter! https://www.monroecounty.gov/des-ecopark-video
Gutters & Downspouts
Disconnecting your Downspout
In some neighborhoods, roof downspouts are piped underground and connected to the storm sewer system at the street. The purpose of this design was to prevent standing water issues. Unfortunately, this arrangement can contribute to flooding downstream and impact water quality.
Disconnecting your roof downspouts from this underground piping, and directing the water to a rain barrel, rain garden, or suitable lawn area, will reduce the amount of water that enters the stormwater system.
The rainwater coming from a roof mixes with dirty water when it enters the storm drain and becomes polluted. It can also contribute to flooding by adding more water to the nearby waterways during a rainstorm. It is estimated that the average size home in Rochester, NY can save over 19,000 gallons of water per year by disconnecting its downspouts. This is equal to approximately 380 bathtubs full of water.
Before you disconnect any downspouts, it’s important to give consideration to local building codes and how runoff will be managed so that it does not result in standing water or impact your home or the adjacent properties. If your home has downspouts that are connected to the storm sewer system, it is relatively easy to disconnect them yourself and route the water to a garden, the lawn, or a rain barrel. Click here to learn how.
Determine if the soils in your yard can infiltrate the water. For a downspout disconnect to work, it is important to make sure that your soil will allow the water to soak into the ground rapidly. Generally, sandy soils infiltrate more quickly than soils with large amounts of clay.
Soil Testing
How to perform a Simple Infiltration test or Percolation Test on soil:
Dig a hole in the ground, approximately 14” deep and about 6” wide near the downspout on your house that you want to disconnect.
Take a hose and completely soak the hole with water and then allow it to fill up to the top.
Once it is filled, time how long it takes for the water to soak in and disappear. The hole should be completely empty of water in 24 hours or less. If it does not drain within 24 hours, you should not disconnect your downspout because you have poorly draining soils. As a general rule, soils should infiltrate about an inch per hour.
Make sure that if you disconnect a downspout, you are not directing the water to an adjacent property.
Transport the water at least 10 feet away from the foundation to a flat location with enough space to properly soak it into the ground. This is to ensure that you are not directing water towards the foundation of the home.
Household chemicals, electronics & pharmaceuticals
Household cleaners, automotive fluids, pesticides, fertilizers, and paints should not be disposed of with your regular trash collection because they can be hazardous. Also, these materials can leak or spill while being transported by your trash hauler and contribute to stormwater pollution of our local waterways.
Monroe County’s Ecopark is a great resource for properly disposing of these hazardous materials.
The Ecopark also accepts other items that can be difficult to recycle or dispose of such as electronics and pharmaceuticals.
Consumers may no longer dispose of certain electronics such as computers and televisions, in landfills or at the curbside for trash pickup. Industry experts estimate that in the United States, consumers throw away 400 million units of electronic equipment each year. Recycling electronic waste helps prevent toxins such as lead, mercury, and cadmium from contaminating local waterways.
Unused or expired pharmaceuticals should not be disposed of down the drain. Some pharmaceuticals pass through the wastewater treatment process unaltered and are discharged into the receiving waterway (such as Lake Ontario) where they can impact water quality and harm aquatic life.
Visit the Ecopark website for additional information and instructions on recycling or disposing of electronics and pharmaceuticals. The site also includes the most current information about recycling or disposing of other difficult items and materials including appliances, light bulbs, batteries, and Styrofoam, as well as helpful tips for curbside recycling.
Septic System Maintenance
If your home has an onsite septic system (very likely if you don't pay for sewer services as part of your local tax bill), it is important that you properly maintain your system so that sewage does not leak onto your lawn and drain to nearby waterways. As a general guideline, septic tanks should be pumped out every 2 or 3 years. For information about maintaining your septic system, go to Monroe County Health Dept. Septic System Care and Maintenance.
Pools, Fountains & Spas
Although it is perfectly safe to enjoy pools, fountains, and spas when their waters are treated properly, that same water in our stormwater system can become hazardous for aquatic life and our environment. Chlorine, acid, algaecides and other water treatment chemicals should be handled, stored, used and disposed of properly. Even the empty containers need proper cleaning before disposal.
Water Treatment Chemicals
Purchase only the amount of chemical needed to do the job. If chemicals need to be stored, place in a covered, yet well-ventilated area.
Thoroughly read all information provided on chemical container labels.
Triple rinse all chemical containers, each time pouring the rinse water back into the pool, fountain, or spa. Containers are then safe for disposal in your household garbage.
Dispose of old or unwanted chemicals only at a household hazardous waste facility.
Pool backwashing is the most common maintenance activity. Backwash water can become a pollutant to our stormwater system, and draining to a storm sewer or waterbody is illegal if the water contains chemicals.
Preventing Chemical and Wastewater Backsplash
Backwash water should drain into the lawn or other landscaped area of your property. Draining slowly will allow chemicals to dissipate and prevent erosion.
Never drain backwash into a stream, creek, pond, or other natural waterbody.
Do not drain backwash water into the storm sewer.
Do not drain backwash onto driveways, sidewalks, streets, or other impervious surfaces.
All wastewater from acid washing should be neutralized to pH between 6.0 and 7.0 and discharged to the lawn or sanitary sewer.
Dispose of diatomaceous earth (DE) in the household garbage.
Draining Pools, Fountains & Spas
Drain your pool, fountain, or spa only when a tested sample does not detect chlorine.
Do not drain pools, fountains, or spas down a driveway or to a storm sewer. Instead, drain slowly to the lawn or other landscaped area of your property using a low-volume pump or siphon.
Be aware of drainage patterns that may affect neighboring properties, especially steep slopes.
Winterize your pool by waiting for chlorine levels to be close to zero, draining it as described above, and then adding your winter treatment chemicals. Draining first reduces the number of chemicals needed and saves money. Mix the chemicals in your pool by using a skimmer pole and brush attachment.