Individuals & Families

Properly dispose of household products containing chemicals, such as insecticides, pesticides, paint, solvents, used motor oil and other auto or mechanical fluids. Don’t pour them on the ground, into roadway gutters, or into storm drains.

Dumping used cooking oil or grease down a sink drain can clog sewer lines, resulting in breaks in the line that may cause sewage to flow directly into the ocean.

If you have a septic tank, be sure to check it regularly to ensure harmful bacteria and viruses aren’t released into surrounding soil. Excess rainfall may also pick up pollutants and send it into the ocean.

Old paint cans can easily rust and leak when left outside. Avoid the urge to stock-up on excess paint; it will save your wallet and help to prevent water pollution.

Don’t dump auto fluids such as antifreeze or brake fluid into storm drains or let them wash down the street where they could go down storm drains. This would only contaminate our oceans.

If your car is leaking fluids, try to get it fixed as soon as possible to prevent excessive leakage on the streets and in your driveway, where rain can wash it down the storm drains.

Give your old auto batteries to the dealer when purchasing new ones or take them to the City Convenience Center nearest you. Batteries contain strong harmful chemicals that could hurt children who might touch or play with them. Old or damaged batteries can also easily leak these harmful chemicals onto the ground to be washed into the ocean after a storm.

When changing oil, use an oil change box to absorb all of the dirty oil and throw it away in the trash.

No oil change box? Just pour it into a plastic bag with plenty of absorbent material to soak it up, then seal the bag and toss it in with the rest of your trash. Motor oil contains many harmful metals that damage our reefs and favorite swimming areas.

Don’t want to mess with the used oil? Consider having your oil changed at a service station.

If you own livestock, keep them away from stream banks and provide a source of water away from natural waterways.

Rotate animal grazing to prevent soil erosion in fields. Erosion results in the loss of nutrient-rich soil that is needed for crops to grow. When it rains, the water carries any loose soil and dirt into the streams where it can cause flooding.

Plant vegetation, preferably native species, along stream banks creating a thick buffer to help prevent livestock and wild animals from easily getting into the water. Also, when it rains, native plants work well to trap any excess fertilizers, chemicals, or dirt in the rainwater as it flows across the fields, ensuring that less of these harmful substances are flushed into our ocean.

Store and apply manure and other fertilizers away from streams. When mowing or harvesting, properly dispose of vegetative material. Fertilizers and vegetative material can cause algae blooms, which use up all the oxygen in the water. This harms fish, coral, and stream life because they cannot survive in water with low oxygen levels.