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Some other things that can be done
NPS Pollution - Reducing Sources
- Use low-flow faucets, shower heads, reduced-flow toilet flushing equipment
and water saving appliances such as dish and clothes washers.
- Repair leaking faucets, toilets, and pumps.
- Use dishwashers and clothes washers only when fully loaded.
- Take short showers instead of baths and avoid letting faucets run unnecessarily.
- Wash your car only when necessary; use a bucket to save water. Alternatively,go
to a commercial carwash that uses water efficiently and disposes of runoff
properly.
- Do not over-water your lawn or garden. Over-watering may increase leaching
of fertilizers to ground water. When your lawn or garden needs watering,use
slow-watering techniques such as trickle irrigation or soaker hoses. (Such
devices reduce runoff and are 20-percent more effective than sprinklers.)
- Clean up after your pets. Pet waste contains nutrients and pathogens that
can contaminate surface water.
- Drive only when necessary. Driving less reduces the amount of pollution
your automobile generates. Automobiles emit tremendous amounts of airbor
pollutants, which increase acid rain; they also deposit toxic metals and
petroleum byproducts into the environment. Regular tuneups and inspections
can help keep automotive waste and byproducts from contaminating runoff.
Clean up any spilled automobile fluids.
- Recycle used oil and antifreeze by taking them to service stations and
other recycling centers. Never put used oil or other chemicals down stormdrains
or in drainage ditches. (One quart of oil can contaminate up to two million
gallons of drinking water!)
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