Pet Waste• Pollution: Petwastecarriesbacteriathrough

ourwatershedsandeventuallywillbewashedouttotheocean.Thiscanposeahealthrisktoswimmersandsurfers.

• Solution: Pickupafteryourpets!

Trash and Debris• Pollution: Trashanddebris

canenterwaterwaysbywind,litteringandcarelessmaintenanceoftrashreceptacles.Streetsweepingcollectssomeofthistrash;however,muchofwhatisn’tcapturedendsupinourstormdrainsystemwhereitflowsuntreatedouttotheocean.

• Solution: Don’tlitterandmakesuretrashcontainersareproperlycovered.Itisfarmoreexpensivetocleanupthelitterandtrashthatendsupinourwaterwaysthanitistopreventitinthefirstplace.ComeouttooneofOrangeCounty’smanylocationsforCoastalandInner-CoastalCleanupDay,whichisheldinSeptember.

Motor Oil / Vehicle Fluids• Pollution: Oilandpetroleumproductsfromour

vehiclesaretoxictopeople,wildlifeandplants.

• Solution: Fixanyleaksfromyourvehicleandkeepthemaintenanceuponyourcar.Useabsorbentmaterialsuchascatlitteronoilspills,thensweepitupanddisposeofitinthetrash.RecycleusedmotoroilatalocalHouseholdHazardousWasteCollectionCenter.

Low Impact Development, Water Conservation & Pollution Prevention

TheOceanBeginsatYourFrontDoor

DID YOU KNOW?

Homeowners Guide for Sustainable Water Use

A TEAM EFFORT

The Orange County Stormwater Program has teamed with the Municipal Water District of Orange County (MWDOC) and the University of California Cooperative Extension Program (UCCE) to develop this pamphlet.

Low Impact Development (LID) and sustainable water use prevents water pollution and conserves water for drinking and reuse. Reducing your water use and the amount of water flowing from your home protects the environment and saves you money.

Thank you for making water protection a priority!

For more information, please visitwww.ocwatersheds.com/publiced/

www.mwdoc.com

www.uccemg.com

Pesticides and Fertilizer • Pollution: Thesamepesticides

thataredesignedtobetoxictopestscanhaveanequallylethalimpactonourmarinelife.Thesamefertilizerthatpromotesplantgrowthinlawnsandgardenscanalsocreatenuisancealgaeblooms,whichremoveoxygenfromthewaterandclogwaterwayswhenitdecomposes.

• Solution: Neverusepesticidesorfertilizerwithin48hoursofananticipatedrainstorm.Useonlyasmuchasisdirectedonthelabelandkeepitoffdrivewaysandsidewalks.

Dirt and Sediment• Pollution: Dirtorsedimentcanimpedetheflowofthe

stormwaterandnegativelyimpactstreamhabitatasittravelsthroughwaterwaysanddepositsdownstream.Pollutantscanattachtosediment,whichcanthenbetransportedthroughourwaterways.

• Solution: Protectdirtstockpilesbycoveringthemwithtarpsorsecureplasticsheetstopreventwindorrainfromallowingdirtorsedimenttoenterthestormdrainsystem.

Metals• Pollution: Metalsandothertoxinspresentincarwash

watercanharmimportantplankton,whichformsthebaseoftheaquaticfoodchain.

• Solution: Takeyourcartoacommercialcarwashwherethewashwateriscapturedandtreatedatalocalwastewatertreatmentplant.

The Pollution SolutionSeveralresidentialactivitiescanresultinwaterpollution.Amongtheseactivitiesarecarwashingandhosingoffdrivewaysandsidewalks.Bothactivitiescanwastewaterandresultinexcessrunoff.Waterconservationmethodsdescribedinthispamphletcanpreventconsiderableamountsofrunoffandconservewater.Bytakingyourcartoacommercialcarwashandbysweepingdrivewaysandsidewalks,youcanfurtherpreventthetransportofpollutantstoOrangeCountywaterways.Herearesomeofthecommonpollutantsforwhichyoucanbepartofthesolution:

To report a spill, call the Orange County 24-Hour Water Pollution Prevention Reporting Hotlineat 1-877-89-SPILL \ (1-877-897-7455)

Special Thanks toThe City of Los Angeles Stormwater Program for the use of its artwork

The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California for the use of the California-Friendly Plant and Native Habitat photos

Did you know that most of the pollution found in our waterways is not from a single source, but from a “non-point” source meaning the accumulation of pollution from

residents and businesses throughout the community

OPTIONS FOR RAINWATER HARvESTINg AND REUSERainwaterharvestingisagreatwaytosavemoney,preventpollutionandreducepotablewateruse.Toharvestyourrainwater,simplyredirecttherunofffromroofsanddownspoutstorainbarrels.Raingardensareanotheroption;thesereducerunoffaswellasencourageinfiltration.

Downspout Disconnection/RedirectionDisconnectingdownspoutsfrompipesrunningtothegutterpreventsrunofffromtransportingpollutantstothestormdrain.Oncedisconnected,downspoutscanberedirectedtoraingardensorothervegetatedareas,orbeconnectedtoarainbarrel.

Rain BarrelsRainbarrelscapturerainwaterflowfromroofsforreuseinlandscapeirrigation.Capacityofrainbarrelsneededforyourhomewilldependontheamountofroofareaandrainfallreceived.Whenpurchasingyourrainbarrel,makesureitincludesascreen,aspigottosiphonwaterforuse,anoverflowtubetoallowforexcesswatertorunoutandaconnectorifyouwishtoconnectmultiplebarrelstoaddcapacityofwaterstorage.

Mosquitogrowthpreventionisveryimportantwheninstallingarainbarrel.Thebestwaytopreventmosquitobreedingistoeliminateentrypointsbyensuringallopeningsaresealedtightly.Ifthesemethodsareunsuccessful,productsareavailabletokillmosquitolarvae,butthatareharmlesstoanimalsandhumans.Regularapplicationoftheseproductsisessential.PleasevisittheOrangeCountyVectorControlwebsiteformoreinformationatwww.ocvcd.org/mosquitoes3.php.

Rain GardensRaingardensallowrunofftobedirectedfromyourroofdownspoutintoalandscapedarea.Vegetationandrocksinthegardenwillslowtheflowofwatertoallowforinfiltrationintothesoil.Plantsandsoilparticleswillabsorbpollutantsfromtheroofrunoff.Byutilizinganativeplantpalate,raingardenscanbemaintainedallyearwithminimaladditionalirrigation.Theseplantsareadaptedtothesemi-aridclimateofSouthernCalifornia,requirelesswaterandcanreduceyourwaterbill.

Beforemodifyingyouryardtoinstallaraingarden,pleaseconsultyourlocalbuildingand/orplanningdepartmentstoensureyourgardenplanfollowspertinentbuildingcodesandordinances.Besidescodesandordinances,somehomeownerassociationsalsohaveguidelinesforyardmodifications.Ifyourpropertyisinhillareasorincludesengineeredslopes,pleaseseek

professionaladvicebeforeproceedingwithchanges.

R U N O F F , R A I N W A T E R A N D R E U S E

Forinformationonhowtodisconnectadownspoutortoinstallandmaintainarainbarrelorraingardenatyourhome,pleaseseetheLosAngelesRainwaterHarvestingProgram,AHomeowner’s“How-To”Guide,November2009atwww.larainwaterharvesting.org/

Waterrunofffromsprinklersleftontoolongwillcarrypollutantsintoourwaterways.

Permeablepavementallowswaterrunoffto

infiltratethroughthesoilandpreventsmost

pollutantsfromreachingthestormdrainsystem.

What is Low Impact Development (LID)?LowImpactDevelopment(LID)isamethodofdevelopmentthatseekstomaintainthenatural

hydrologiccharacterofanarea.LIDprovidesamoresustainableandpollution-preventativeapproachtowatermanagement.

NewwaterqualityregulationsrequireimplementationofLIDinlargernewdevelopmentsandencourageimplementationofLIDandothersustainablepracticesinexistingresidentialareas.Implementingmodificationstoyourlawnorgardencanreducepollutioninourenvironment,conservewaterandreduceyourwaterbill.

Where Does Water Runoff Go?Stormwater,orwaterfromrainfallevents,andrunofffromoutdoorwaterusesuchassprinklersandhosesflowsfromhomesdirectlyintocatchbasinsandthestormdrainsystem.Afterenteringthestormdrain,thewaterflowsuntreatedintostreams,rivers,baysandultimatelythePacificOcean.Runoffcancomefromlawns,gardens,driveways,sidewalksandroofs.Asitflowsoverhard,impervioussurfaces,itpicksuppollutants.Somepollutantscarriedbythewaterrunoffincludetrash,petwaste,pesticides,fertilizer,motoroilandmore.

Water ConservationPollutionnotonlyimpairsthewaterqualityforhabitatandrecreation,itcanalsoreducethewateravailableforreuse.Runoffallowedtosoakintothegroundiscleanedasitpercolatesthroughthesoil,replenishingdepletedgroundwatersupplies.Groundwaterprovidesatleast50%ofthetotalwaterfordrinkingandotherindoorhouseholdactivitiesinnorthandcentralOrangeCounty.Whenlandiscoveredwithroads,parkinglots,homes,etc.,thereislesslandtotakeinthewaterandmorehardsurfacesoverwhichthewatercanflow.

InOrangeCounty,60-70%ofwaterusedbyresidentsandbusinessesgoestoirrigationandotheroutdooruses.Reusingrainwatertoirrigateourlawnnotonlyreducestheimpactofwaterpollutionfromrunoff,butitalsoisagreatwaytoconserveourpreciouswaterresourcesandreplenishourgroundwaterbasin.

Permeablepavementallowswaterrunofftoinfiltratethroughthesoilandpreventsmostpollutantsfromreachingthestormdrainsystem.

OTHER WATER CONSERvATION AND POLLUTION PREvENTION TECHNIqUESNative Vegetation and Maintenance“CaliforniaFriendly”plantsornativevegetationcansignificantlyreducewateruse.Theseplantsoftenrequirefarlessfertilizersandpesticides,whicharetwosignificantpollutantsfoundinOrangeCountywaterways.Replacingwater“thirsty”plantsandgrasstypeswithwaterefficientnativesisagreatwaytosavewaterandreducetheneedforpotentiallyharmfulpesticidesandfertilizer.

PleaseseetheCaliforniaFriendlyGardenGuideproducedbytheMetropolitanWaterDistrictofSouthernCaliforniaandassociatedSouthernCaliforniaWaterAgenciesforacatalogofCaliforniafriendlyplantsandothergardenresourcesatwww.bewaterwise.com/Gardensoft.

Weed Free YardsWeedsarewaterthieves.Theyoftenreproducequicklyandrobyouryardofbothwaterandnutrients.Weedyouryardbyhandifpossible.Ifyouuseherbicidestocontroltheweeds,useonlytheamountrecommendedonthelabelandneveruseitifrainisforecastwithinthenext48hours.

Soil AmendmentsSoilamendmentssuchasgreenwaste(e.g.grassclippings,compost,etc.)canbeasignificantsourceofnutrientsandcanhelpkeepthesoilneartherootsofplantsmoist.However,theycancausealgalboomsiftheygetintoourwaterways,whichreducestheamountofoxygeninthewaterandimpactsmostaquaticorganisms.Itisimportanttoapplysoilamendmentsmorethan48hourspriortopredictedrainfall.

IRRIgATE EFFICIENTLYSmart Irrigation Controllers

SmartIrrigationControllershaveinternalclocksaswellassensorsthatwillturnoffthesprinklersinresponsetoenvironmentalchanges.Ifitisraining,toowindyortoocold,thesmartirrigationcontrolsprinklerswillautomaticallyshutoff.

Checkwithyourlocalwateragencyforavailablere-batesonirrigationcontrollersandsmarttimers.

• Aimyoursprinklersatyourlawn,notthesidewalk–Bysimplyadjustingthedirectionofyoursprinklersyoucansavewater,preventwaterpollutionfromrunoff,keepyourlawnhealthyandsavemoney.

• Set a timer for your sprinklers–lawnsabsorbthewatertheyneedtostayhealthywithinafewminutesofturningonthesprinklers.Timeyoursprinklers;whenwaterbeginsrunningoffyourlawn,youcanturnthemoff.Yourtimercanbesettowateryourlawnforthisdurationeverytime.

• Water at Sunrise–Wateringearlyinthemorningwillreducewaterlossduetoevaporation.Additionally,windstendtodiedownintheearlymorningsothewaterwillgettothelawnasintended.

• Water by hand–Insteadofusingsprinklers,considerwateringyouryardbyhand.Hand-wateringensuresthatallplantsgettheproperamountofwaterandyouwillpreventanywaterrunoff,whichwasteswaterandcarriespollutantsintoourwaterways.

• Fix leaks-Nationwide,householdswasteonetrilliongallonsofwaterayeartoleaks–thatisenoughwatertoservetheentirestateofTexasforayear.Ifyourgardenhoseisleaking,replacethenylonorrubberhosewasherandensureatightconnection.Fixbrokensprinklersimmediately.