Healthy Habits for Clean Water

By adopting the following habits for clean water, we can minimize the amount of pollutants that end up in our waterbodies, thereby ensuring clean water for future generations.

Septic System Maintenance

• Have your septic system inspected by a professional at least every 3 years, and have the septic tank pumped as necessary (usually every 3 to 5 years).
• Care for the septic system drainfield by not driving or parking vehicles on it. Plant only grass over and near the drainfield to avoid damage from roots.
• Flush responsibly. Flushing household chemicals like paint, pesticides, oil, and antifreeze can destroy the biological treatment taking place in the system. Other items, such as diapers, paper towels, and cat litter, can clog the septic system and potentially damage components.
• Related Information: Osceola Health Department - Environmental Health.

Swimming Pool and Spa

• Drain your swimming pool only when a test kit does not detect chlorine levels.
• Whenever possible, drain your pool or spa into your yard.
• Properly store pool and spa chemicals to prevent leaks and spills, preferably in a covered area to avoid exposure to rain water or other elements.
• Related Information: EPA Chlorinated Pool Discharge Options.

Lawn and Garden

• Use pesticides and fertilizers sparingly. When use is necessary, use these chemicals in the recommended amounts. Avoid application if the forecast calls for rain; otherwise, chemicals will be washed into your local waterbody.
• Select native plants and grasses that are drought and pest resistant. Native plants require less water, fertilizer, and pesticides.
• Sweep up yard debris, rather than hosing down areas. Compost or recycle yard waste when possible.
• Don’t overwater your lawn. Water during the cool times of the day, and don’t let water run off into the storm drain.
• Cover piles of dirt and mulch being used in landscaping projects to prevent these pollutants from blowing or washing off your yard and into local waterbodies. Vegetate bare spots in your yard to prevent soil erosion.

Home Repair and Improvement

• Before beginning an outdoor project, locate the nearest storm drain and protect it from debris and other materials.
• Sweep up and properly dispose of construction debris such as concrete and mortar.
• Use hazardous substances like paints, solvents, and cleaners in the smallest amounts possible, and follow the directions on the label. Clean up spills immediately, and dispose of the waste safely. Store substances properly to avoid leaks and spills.
• Purchase and use nontoxic, biodegradable, recycled, and recyclable products whenever possible.
• Clean paint brushes in a sink, not outdoors. Filter and reuse paint thinner when using oil-based paints. Properly dispose of excess paints through the household hazardous waste collection program, or donate unused paint to local organizations.
• Reduce the amount of paved area and increase the amount of vegetated area in your yard. Use native plants in your landscaping to reduce the need for watering during dry periods. Consider directing downspouts away from paved surfaces onto lawns and other measures to increase infiltration and reduce polluted runoff.
• Related Information: Dispose of Hazardous Waste in Osceola County

Vehicle and Garage

• Use a commercial car wash or wash your car on the lawn or other unpaved surface to minimize the amount of dirty, soapy water flowing into the storm drain and eventually into your local waterbody.
• Check your car, boat, motorcycle, and other machinery and equipment for leaks and spills. Make repairs as soon as possible. Clean up spilled fluids with an absorbent material like kitty litter or sand, and don’t rinse the spills into a nearby storm drain. Remember to properly dispose of the absorbent material.
• Recycle used oil and other automotive fluids at participating service stations. Don’t dump these chemicals down the storm drain or dispose of them in your trash.

Pet Care

• When walking your pet, remember to pick up the waste and dispose of it properly. Leaving pet waste on the ground increases public health risks by allowing harmful bacteria and nutrients to wash into the storm drain and eventually into local waterways.

The Dirt on Dirt

If dirt is natural, how can it be a pollutant? Dirt can move through the air and by land. Nutrients and other pollutants attach themselves to dirt particles. These can dissolve into water and cause algal blooms.

Even if there are no dirt attachments, the presence of dirt can fill the water column, causing it to look cloudy or turbit, and prevents sunlight from reaching submersed aquatic vegetation.

Click here to learn more "dirt" on dirt.

Grass Clippings

Yard waste contributes nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorous, which cause unwanted and uncontrolled growth of algae and aquatic weeds! Algae can lead to the deoxygenation of water with a detrimental effect on pond life.

What we put down the stormdrain will eventually end up in places like Lake Tohopekaliga, East Lake Tohopekaliga, Alligator Lake, and more.

Click here to learn more.

The Scoop on Pet Poo

Pet waste, when left on the ground, may be washed into storm sewers by rain, leading into our lakes. The waste then decays, carrying diseases, using up oxygen, and sometimes releasing ammonia. It also contains nutrients that encourage weed and algae growth.

What to do with pet poo? Scoop it, bag it, trash it. Or, flush it down the toilet (unless you have a septic system).

Click here to learn more.

Car Washing

Unlike household waste water that enters sewers or septic systems and undergoes treatment before it is discharged into the environment, car washing run off goes right into storm drains, and eventually into rivers, streams, creeks and wetlands. This water can be loaded with gasoline, oil, and residues from exhaust fumes, as well as harsh detergents, and can wreak havoc on our ecosystem.

On the other hand, federal law in the U.S. require commercial carwash facilities to drain their wastewater into sewer systems, so it gets treated before it is discharged back into the great outdoors.

If you must wash your car at home, choose a biodegradable soap specifically formulated for automotive parts, such as Simple Green's Car Wash or Gliptone's Wash 'n Glow. Or you can make your own biodegradable car wash.

Learn more details of "the Squeeze on Car Washing" by clicking here.