As you step into your watershed, learn ways to protect the wonderful resource you live, work and play in. Everyone is part of the watershed, because the watershed is everywhere!
From the top of the mountains to the rivers, creeks and bays, the watershed is all around us. Watersheds are more than just drainage areas in and around our communities. They are necessary to support habitat for plants and animals, and they provide drinking water for people and wildlife.
The first rains of the season will soon arrive, bringing more than just gloomy skies and traffic problems. Heavy rains generate an increase in water pollution as trash and other pollutants that accumulate during the dry season flow across Bay Area watersheds and through the storm drain system into creeks, rivers and ultimately to San Francisco and Monterey Bays.
Just like raincoats and umbrellas, water pollution goes hand in hand with rain. As houses and parking lots replace vegetation and open space, these water-resistant surfaces rapidly send polluted runoff into storm drains and streams, creeks and rivers. During storm events, trash, organic matter, and automotive pollutants are primary sources of pollution that threaten water quality and wildlife in our local watersheds.
There is a major rise in water pollution when the first rains of the season hit. Storms flush large amounts of pollutants down Bay Area creeks and rivers causing erosion, destroying habitat, depleting oxygen levels, and poisoning wildlife. Most people don’t realize that even leaves and grass clippings carried into creeks by rainwater can disrupt the ecological health of our waterways. Everyone lives in a watershed and the actions of people affect the health of the waters that drain into it.
Unlike some environmental problems, pollution can be reduced during the rainy season. Here are 10 easy things you can do to help prevent pollution and make a difference in your watershed:
- Set an example for others by not littering. If you do see litter, pick it up and put it in a trash can. PLEASE DON’T TRASH CALIFORNIA.
- Carry a litterbag in your car or on your bicycle.
- Take a reusable cloth bag to the grocery store: plastic bags last forever and are the top trash item found in our creeks.
- Keep trash containers covered securely to prevent wind or animals from spreading litter.
- Regularly maintain your vehicle to avoid auto fluid leaks.
- Keep leaves and yard clippings picked up around your home and recycle as green waste or learn how to create your own compost! http://www.sjrecycles.org/residents/home_compost.asp.
- Direct downspouts around your house to a vegetated area rather than letting them flow directly to the street.
- Organize or join in the cleanup of a neighborhood, roadway, creek, estuary, or wetland.
- Properly dispose of all household hazardous waste such as fluorescent light bulbs, batteries, motor oil, medicines, paint, electronics and pesticides. The Santa Clara County Household Hazardous Waste Program has partnered with many retail outlets to recycle household batteries and fluorescent bulbs. Locations include many, but not all, Target stores, Radio Shacks, hardware stores, City of Santa Clara Fire Stations, and cell phone stores. For a complete list of participating locations, visit www.hhw.org or call 408-299-7300.
- Use a commercial car wash or wash your cars on an unpaved surface and empty your bucket into a sink or toilet.
Watersheds are more than just drainage areas in and around our communities. They are necessary to support habitat for plants and animals, and they provide drinking water for people and wildlife.
Everyone lives in a watershed and the actions of people who live within a watershed affect the health of the waters that drain into it.
For a Better World, Protect Your Watershed Today!
For more suggestions or information, contact Kate Slama, ext. 2739 or visit www.MyWatershedWatch.org.