Excess fertilizers and pesticides applied to lawns and gardens can wash off and pollute streams.
Yard clippings and leaves can wash into storm drains and contribute nutrients and organic matter into streams.

Too many nutrients in the water causes algae to grow faster than ecosystems can handle.

Large growths of algae can severely reduce or eliminate oxygen in the water, leading to the illness and death of large numbers of fish.

WHAT CAN WE DO?

• Use pesticides and fertilizers sparingly. Lawns and many plants do not need as much fertilizer as you might think. Better yet..... go organic!
• Don’t overwater your lawn and use a soaker hose for your garden areas.
• Don’t fertilize before a rain or frost.
• Maintain a buffer strip of unmowed native vegetation bordering all water bodies to trap excess fertilizers and sediment.
• Compost or mulch yard waste, and
• Cover piles of dirt or mulch to reduce sediment in stormwater.

PRACTICE RESPONSIBLE LAWN CARE

Find out more here:  http://organiclandcare.net