As if budding flowers, leaves and shoots this time of year weren’t enough, newspaper flyers, television commercials, and direct mail inserts catch our eyes and imaginations with promises of bright flawless lawns and perfect, colorful blossoms.

It’s easy to see how advertising of home and lawn care products appeals to our desire for beauty, convenience and ease. Couldn’t we all use a little more time, beauty and relaxation in our lives? What if we could have a low maintenance, beautiful yard AND protect water quality at the same time?

Are you willing to adopt a few new habits and make protecting water quality your priority? It may be easier than you think!

The Clean Water Act is more than 30 years old and has done a great deal to improve water quality in the United States . In fact, contaminants from industries are no longer considered the primary source of water pollution in the country.

According to the EPA, the “new” number one source of water pollution is nonpoint source pollution, also known as storm water runoff. As rainwater lands on our roofs, streets, fields, lawns, forests, construction sites, parking lots and driveways, it picks up materials and shuttles them down the nearest gutter or catch basin and into the local wetland, river, bay or lake.

The cumulative impact of runoff from many home and business landscapes is what gives this pollution source its number one position.

With a little forethought and a few changes in habits, we can reduce our contribution to water pollution and in many cases, make our home and lawn care easier! Major sources of water pollution in New Hampshire are excess nutrients, pathogens and toxic contaminants. Many contaminants come from sources in and around our homes. (Full Story)

Reduce Nutrients

All living things are made up of nutrients. When living things decompose, they break down into their component nutrients. When an excess of these nutrients, particularly phosphorus and nitrogen, are released into the environment, they cause excessive algae growth. Excessive algae growth leads to reduced oxygen levels in water that kills aquatic animal life.

There are many ways we can reduce nutrient inputs from around the home. Minimize or avoid fertilizer applications by testing the soil and then applying only the amount and type of fertilizer needed. Use slow release products.

Compost yard waste and prevent it from entering storm drains, rivers, streams, lakes, ponds, bays or marshes. Leave grass clippings on the lawn when mowing, they act as a light fertilizer. Replant bare areas quickly, especially on steep slopes. Eroding soils create pollution. Keep or plant a buffer of trees and shrubs between your property and any water bodies nearby. Plant native plants that require less fertilizer, water, and clipping.

Reduce pathogens

Disease-causing bacteria and viruses create pathogenic contamination in water. They typically indicate the presence of fecal matter and create health problems. In coastal areas, pathogenic contamination results in shellfish bed and beach closures. Pathogenic contamination usually comes from animal waste including waste from pets, wildlife, agricultural animals and humans. Human waste can enter water bodies via failing septic systems and waste water effluent.

There are a number of ways we can reduce our contribution to pathogenic contamination. Treating your septic system with care and pumping it out every 3-5 years helps reduce the likelihood the system will fail. Picking up pet waste and disposing of it in a toilet, the trash where allowed, or burying it, helps keep it from ending up in local waters. Conserving water at home and supporting a strong municipal wastewater treatment system help prevent overflows and accidental releases of minimally treated waste water.

Toxic Contaminants

Toxic contaminants are often what we think of when we think about pollution. These are compounds like heavy metals and pesticides. Toxic contaminants come from commercial, household and agricultural chemicals, automobile emissions, leaking underground tanks and historic sources. They don’t usually break down easily and they poison living things.

Household products can become toxic contaminants when they make their way into groundwater or the storm water system. Use less or nontoxic alternative products around the home. If you have some products you aren’t sure how to dispose of, contact your town office and ask about disposing of household hazardous waste. Many towns have a special collection once or twice a year.

Use common sense with pests. Most plants can tolerate some insect damage just fine. Minimize pesticide use. NEVER put anything down a storm drain. Automobiles and trucks release toxic contaminants into the air and onto the ground that eventually end up polluting runoff. Keep your vehicle in good working order. Use alternative transportation when you can. Wash your car at a carwash or over gravel to prevent the wash water from entering the storm water system.

Wherever possible, reduce runoff over impervious surface – pavement and compacted soils. These impenetrable surfaces prevent water from infiltrating the earth where soil helps filter out pollutants. Think about adopting a new way of thinking and a couple of new habits to minimize our contributions to polluted runoff.

By Julia Peterson, UNH Cooperative Extension Specialist, Water Resources