City Hall » Public Works Utilities and Operations » Stormwater

Pollution Prevention at Home

Font Size: + -
Share & Bookmark, Press Enter to show all options, press Tab go to next option
Print

mightyducksWhat is Pollution?

Pollution is when something introduced into the environment has a harmful effect. Stormwater runoff can pick up pollutants as it flows across pavement and down gutters and into storm drain inlets in the street. Some common pollutants found in stormwater include:
  • Animal waste  
  • Litter (particularly plastics)
  • Motor oil or antifreeze (often from cars that drip oil onto roads and driveways)
  • Yard trimmings
  • Paint or cement from home projects
  • Fertilizers and pesticides (washed off from landscaping)
  • Dirty water from washing cars (from cars that are washed in parking lots, streets and driveways)
  • Dirty pool water that may also be too high in chlorine and not pH neutral
  • Water containing soil

lid closed combo

Polluted water is dangerous for humans and the environment. In Davis, stormwater isn’t cleaned or treated before it flows into local waterways. This means that any litter or pollutants that are picked up as water is traveling to the storm drains can end up in local waterways and wetlands. Polluted stormwater can make fish and animals sick and be hazardous to humans.

What Can I Do?

It’s important to keep pollutants out of stormwater. Here are some simple ways you can prevent pollution and keep our waterways clean and healthy. 

Pollution Prevention Tips (PDF)

Waste and Recycling

  • Ensure that lids on trash, recycling and organics carts are closed in order to keep rainwater out and to prevent wind from blowing waste out of the carts. Keep fluids out of these bins.
  • Always be sure to put waste in the proper carts.  Never leave litter on the ground.
  • Recycle and compost as much of your waste as possible.
  • Securely bag any trash so that it doesn’t blow out of the cart when it’s being emptied.  
  • When possible, limit the use of single-use plastics. Single-use plastics, including water bottles and straws, are a significant source of plastic pollution.  Plastics do not biodegrade and they bond with toxic chemicals already existing in the environment. Plastics can enter the food chain and the concentration of toxic chemicals increases as the plastics move up the food chain.

Pet Care

  • picking up pet waste

    Wash your dog in a bathtub, at a pet wash facility, or on your grass to keep dirty water out of the stormdrain. Limit the amount of water used so as not to create runoff.
  • Always pick up pet waste, seal it in a bag, and put it in the trash bin. Pet waste contains harmful bacteria that can kill fish and make animals and humans sick.  Dog and cat waste should never go in the organics cart or in on-street yard material piles (even if it’s bagged). Chicken and rabbit manure are acceptable in the organics carts.

washing off paint brushes in sink

Home Improvement

  • When using latex paint, wash off your painting equipment and brushes in the sink.
  • downspoutDirect downspouts on your house to drain to landscaping rather than walkways and driveways. Disperse the energy of the water at the base of the downspouts with rock cobbles.  Downspouts can carry a lot of water when it rains, washing oil off pavement and carrying litter down storm drains. Directing downspouts to landscaping can allow the water to soak into the soil instead.

washing car in car washAuto Care

  • If your car is dirty, take it to a car wash facility where the rinse water is recycled and sent to the wastewater treatment plant for cleaning.
  • If you wash your car at home, use a small amount of water. Use only soaps, cleaners, or detergents labeled "non-toxic", "phosphate free", or "biodegradable". Allow the dirty water to flow into your landscaping.  You can also use a waterless carwash kit. More information on car washing.
  • wipe and sweepProperly clean oil spills and leaks from your car. Use kitty litter to soak up the oil, then sweep up the soaked kitty litter. Dispose of the used litter with hazardous wastes.  You can also use a rag to wipe up the oil.
  • Keep your car in good repair and ensure that it is not leaking oil and other fluids.

Yard and Gardening Tips  

  • sweepMake sure that your irrigation sprinklers do not spray onto pavement and create runoff that reaches the street.
  • Make sure to turn off hoses at the spigot.
  • After gardening, sweep any dirt or fertilizers left on the sidewalk back into your yard to ensure it won’t be blown by wind or washed by water down the storm drains. Avoid applying fertilizers when it’s windy or just before rain events.
  • If you are planning a garden, add a border to keep the mulch and soil in place and prevent it from being washed into the gutter.
  • Rake fallen leaves and place them in the brown-lidded organics cart. Never blow them into the street. You can also leave them in your yard and utilize them as a natural mulch.  
  • Drain pool water into the wastewater (sewer) collection system. Most properties have a sewer clean out (an access to the collection line) in their front yard, usually close to the building.  You can also drain water from the pool to a washing machine drain out or a utility sink if you can’t find your sewer clean out. 
  • Pool water may contain chlorine and other chemicals, algae, or dirt that can be harmful to aquatic plants, fish, and humans. You can water your yard with pool water as long as it doesn’t run off into the street, is chlorine-free and pH neutral.
  • Consider installing bat or owl boxes to encourage natural predators such as owls and bats. The City also has a Barn Owl Nest Box Program to support the local barn owl population and benefit from the natural pest control they provide. Residents that wish to participate in the program may donate a barn owl box and have the City install it into a City-owned tree. Contact the Public Work Utilities and Operations Department for more information.
  • Learn more about green gardening.

Pesticide Use 

Pools, Spas and Fountains

  • mostly empty pool with hoseIf you need to drain your pool, spa or fountain, draining to the sewer is always the best option, because the sewer system conveys water to the City’s Wastewater Treatment Plant where most chemicals and pollutants will be removed.
    • Ensure that the pH is between 5.0 and 12.0 before draining to the sewer.
    • Your pool might have a permanent connection to the sewer, which is the best way to drain your pool. If not, you can pump water from your pool into an interior laundry sink or into your sewer cleanout (which is typically located within 3 feet of your house foundation). Not every home has a sewer cleanout. Never open a sewer maintenance hole in the street to drain the water!
    • When discharging water to the sewer, make sure the flow rate is slow enough that it does not cause the sewer to back up and overflow into your house, your neighbor’s house or onto the street.
  • Saltwater pools may ONLY be drained into the sewer system. They may NEVER be drained to the street or stormdrain. The chemicals used in saltwater pools are not easily removed by at-home treatment and can kill plants and animals in wetland and waterways.
  • If you are unable to drain water from your pool, spa or fountain to the sewer, it may be possible to drain pool water to a stormdrain under certain conditions. Please keep in mind that this water is likely treated with a variety of chemicals (such as chlorine and algaecides) to keep organisms from living in it. It is illegal to discharge  water that contains biocides or other chemicals to the stormdrain system as it will harm the wetland and waterway ecosystems. Make sure that draining your pool, spa or fountain will not pollute local wetlands and waterways by performing all the checks listed on this flier BEFORE draining water to the street or stormdrain: Draining Pools, Spas and Fountains (PDF)
  • When you clean your pool filters, never clean them in your driveway or anywhere the water could run into the street and down a stormdrain. Instead, rinse cartridge filters onto landscaping so that the ground will absorb the water. Do not clean filters in a sink unless you place a filter cloth over the drain. The filter media (usually diatomaceous earth) should never go down the drain. After cleaning the filter you can place the filter media in the trash.

Test Your Pollution Prevention Knowledge!

Try playing Find It & Fix It and Protect or Pollute to learn about the impacts of our everyday choices and how they can contribute to polluting or protecting our local waterways!

 intro screen 

Informational Handouts

Environmentally Friendly Weed Control and Pest Management:

Composting Information

Home Improvement and Landscaping

For Kids

Additional Documents and Helpful Links