There are many ways you can reduce storm water pollution around your home. By practicing healthy habits around the house, you can keep pollutants like pet waste, grass clippings, and automotive fluids off the ground and out of the storm water.

Healthy lawn and garden habits:

• Use fertilizer sparingly.
• Don't use fertilizer or pesticides if rain is expected.
• Do not mix or prepare pesticides near storm drains.
• Sweep up yard debris and throw it in the trash instead of cleaning your sidewalks and driveways with a garden hose.
• Avoid over-watering. Water only as much as your lawn can absorb.
• Keep leaves, grass clippings, and other yard waste clear of driveways, sidewalks, and streets so it won't get washed into the storm drains.
• When landscaping, place piles of dirt or mulch away from storm drains, and keep the piles covered when you're not using them.
• Keep trash in sealed containers and keep the trash area clean.

• When walking your pet, remember to pick up your pet's waste, bag it, and dispose of it properly.
• At home, bag pet waste and place it into the trash.  Pet wastes contain harmful bacteria and nutrients that wash into the storm drains and eventually into local waterways.

• Use a commercial car wash or wash on the lawn or unpaved surface where the soil can absorb the water.
• Keep your vehicles well maintained.  Repair any leaks in the oil, transmission, and brake systems promptly.  Leaks and spills can form toxic puddles that eventually wash into the storm drains.
• If a spill occurs, do not wash down the area with water.  Instead, use kitty litter, sand, or sawdust to soak up the fluid, then dispose of it properly.
• Recycle used oil, batteries, and antifreeze.

Public Education & Participation
Englewood understands that the public can be an integral part of our stormwater program and has developed several helpful brochures that describe proper pollution prevention practices to keep our city and local waterways clean.

• After the Storm: A general Guide for Businesses and Other Private Property Owners

This brochure explains the hazards of stormwater pollution and describes ways of preventing it. After the Storm

• Clear Choices for Clean Water: Caring for Your Lawn and Garden

This brochure describes how to maintain a healthy lawn and help improve water quality at the same time. Caring for Your Lawn and Garden

• Clear Choices for Clean Water: Managing Your Construction Site

This brochure explains how best management practices can prevent erosion on a construction site. Managing Your Construction Site

• Clear Choices for Clear Water: Managing Your Household Wastes

This brochure describes the types of household hazardous wastes and how to properly dispose of them. Managing Your Household Wastes

• Stormwater Protection: Commercial and Industrial Facilities

The following brochure is a guide for owners/managers of commercial and industrial facilities to follow proper environmental protection practices to prevent stormwater pollution and keep our waterways clean. Stormwater Protection: Commercial and Industrial Facilities

• Picking Up Dog Waste Poster

The City’s MS-4 PROGRAM DESCRIPTION DOCUMENT is available for review.  Please contact the City at 303-762-2635 for details.

Additional Resources (outside links):

• Nonpoint Source Pollution Management
• Colorado Recycles
• Colorado Department of Public Health - Water Quality Control Division
• Urban Drainage and Flood Control District
• Environmental Protection Agency