Everyone relies on water and other natural resources to exist. What we do on the land impacts the quality and quantity of water. Due to the highly porous sand and gravel underlying the Great Miami River and its major tributaries, there is little separation between the water in the river and the water underground. Since the primary cause of water pollution is runoff or nonpoint source pollution, things we do around the house impact water quality.

So what can you do to help protect surface water and groundwater from pollution? Follow these easy-to-use ideas listed below.

(This list partially adapted from the National Wildlife Federation.)

In the Garden and Yard

• Use a mulching lawn mower.
  Grass can be a good fertilizer. Allow the organic nutrients of grass clippings to fertilize the lawn.
• Use fertilizers wisely.
  Be careful when fertilizing to avoid untimely or excessive application. Use fertilizer on flat areas and not near sensitive areas, like waterways. Use phosphorus-free or low-phosphorus-content fertilizers. Don't apply if major storms are anticipated.
• Use water efficiently in your home.
  Water your lawn in the early morning during low evaporation times. Use soaker hoses or other systems that deliver water at low rates. This will help increase the volume of water that infiltrates the ground, help you to conserve water, and avoid watering your driveway. It may also help you save money.
• Recycle your yard trimmings.
  Recycle yard trimmings by adding them to your home compost mulch pile.

Residents in Cities and Suburbs

• Avoid storm drains—direct deposit and no return.
  The streets' storm drains and gutters are outlets to lakes, streams, rivers and wetlands. Keep them clean of litter, pet wastes and leaves.
• Don't drown your oil.
  Dispose of used oil, antifreeze and paints properly, and clean up accidental spills. Pouring them down the storm drain or hosing the spill into the drain could wash the toxic chemicals directly into your local river or lake. Learn where to recycle used oil.

Landowners

• Stop erosion.
  Plant ground cover to stabilize slopes, shorelines, and embankments.
• Give the fish shade, too.
  Forested areas adjacent to water bodies should be left undisturbed, which will provide shade for the fish and other critters in the waterway. It will also keep waterways from getting warmer. Warmer waters promote aquatic weed growth and less desirable fish species.
• Buffer your waterways.
  Create buffer strips with native vegetation along waterways, such as rivers, brooks, ponds, streams, lakes and wetlands. If you are using grassed filter strips, mow the strip two or three times a year to maintain a thick vegetative cover. Buffers will stabilize your banks as well as help keep polluted runoff from reaching the stream.
• Protect nesting birds in your fields.
  To avoid impact on ground-nesting birds, mowing should be limited to spring or fall. It is also best to harvest the mowed grass to allow for thicker growth. This will remove nutrients that could be released into the waterway during decomposition.
• Use setbacks to help wildlife and you.
  Setbacks from waterways protect the buffer strip vegetation, provide a wildlife corridor and reduce exposure to floods. Effective setbacks still allow for certain types of "low impact" nonhabitable development such as docks, open gazebos, etc.
• Find out about best management practices for farms and forests.
  Call your state or federal agriculture or forestry agency to find out about "best management practices" to reduce erosion on your land and enhance water quality within your watershed.

At Home

• Phase out phosphates.
  Avoid using phosphates in detergents. Phosphates create algae blooms in waterways that choke habitat and take away oxygen needed by fish and other aquatic creatures. There are phosphate-free detergents available commercially.
• Watch out for hazards.
  Properly store and use (as well as dispose of) household hazardous chemicals such as auto fluids, pesticides, paints, solvents, fertilizers, etc. Each community has its own opportunities to recycle or properly dispose of all kinds of things.
• Compost the most.
  If you are hooked up to a septic tank, try to minimize use of your garbage disposal. This will reduce the buildup of solids in your septic tank and reduce the frequency of pumping. Even if you are not hooked up to a septic tank, most of what you'd ordinarily put down your disposal can be composted into rich soil, which if properly used, could save you money on fertilizer.
• Go biodegradable.
  Use biodegradable cleaners and other alternatives to hazardous chemicals. Reduce your use of chlorine-based cleaners and bleach.
• Inspect your septic system.
  Inspect and maintain your septic tank regularly. Contact your Health Department for further information about your on-site septic system.

Get Involved: Opportunities for Everyone!

• Help keep the neighborhood clean.
  Get involved in local river cleanups or the Great American Cleanup Program.
• Help out the highways.
  Get involved in the state "Adopt-a-Highway" program.
• Be wild about your watershed.
  Join your local watershed association because “we all live downstream.”
• Rally around construction.
  Building expansion and road construction, commercial developments, and even new homes can cause water pollution if practices are not in place to control sediment (dirt) runoff during heavy rains. Encourage local officials to develop construction erosion control ordinances, and encourage contractors to learn about Best Management Practices they can implement to minimize runoff during and after construction.

For more information about nonpoint source pollution, visit http://www.epa.gov/owow/nps/whatis.html.