Your everyday activities can affect water quality. The following is an excerpt from Clean Water New Jersey's Solutions to Stormwater Pollution brochure:
Pollution on streets, parking lots and lawns is washed by rain into storm drains, then directly to our drinking water supplies and the ocean and lakes our children play in. Fertilizer, oil, pesticides, detergents, pet waste, grass clippings: You name it and it ends up in our water.
Stormwater pollution is one of New Jersey’s greatest threats to clean and plentiful water, and that’s why we’re all doing something about it.
By sharing the responsibility and making small, easy changes in our daily lives, we can keep common pollutants out of stormwater. It all adds up to cleaner water, and it saves the high cost of cleaning up once it’s dirty.
As part of New Jersey’s initiative to keep our water clean and plentiful and to meet federal requirements, many municipalities and other public agencies including colleges and military bases must adopt ordinances or other rules prohibiting various activities that contribute to stormwater pollution. Breaking these rules can result in fines or other penalties.
As a resident, business, or other member of the New Jersey community, it is important to know these easy things you can do every day to protect our water:
- Limit your use of fertilizers and pesticides
- Properly use and dispose of hazardous products
- Keep pollution out of storm drains
- Clean up after your pet
- Don’t feed wildlife
- Don’t litter
- Dispose of yard waste properly
For further information on how to keep our water supply safe, check out the following resources:
NJ Department of Environmental Protection - NJStormwater.org
NJ Department of Environmental Protection - SEEDS - The State Environmental Education Directory
Clean Water - Its Up to You New Jersey