How Can You and Your Family Protect Our Water?
How Can You and Your Family Protect Our Water? TI P
1
What has 4 w heels and flies?
TI P
4
Yo Kids!
Protecting our water supply isn’t just an adult thing. It’s up to each and every one of us! Storm drains in the street (also called sewer inlets) are for water only. Philadelphia’s rain and melting snow pick up all kinds of pollutants as they wash over our sidewalks, streets, parking lots, and yards. All of this dirty water flows into storm drains, many of which empty into local creeks and the Schuylkill and Delaware Rivers. You can help make our waterways safer for drinking, fishing, and boating by keeping pollution and trash out of Philadelphia’s storm drains.
Keep litter off th e street. This in cludes candy wrappers, fast food containers , and other was Put trash in tras te. h cans and clea n-up street litte it doesn’t get w r so ashed or blown into the storm drains. A Trash Truck!
TIP
2
Ask your parents to service the car regularly to prevent oils and other fluids from leaking onto the pavement and being washed down the storm drains. People should always recycle used motor oil and antifreeze. Cars should be moved for street sweepings to allow for the removal of debris before it washes down the storm drains.
When is a car not a car?
ater by drinking w ste in r u o ct te lp pro ce dog wa You can he ur dog. Pla reet or down o y r e ft a p cleaning u ash can, not in the st iseaser a tr duces d the toilet o waste intro ly. g o D . in dra pp the storm ur water su eria into o ct a b g n si cau
When it turns into a driveway.
TI P
3
rden, and cut s expand your ga nerally nt re pa ur yo p Hel ardens ge of your lawn. G native plants, down on the size . than lawns Use ll fa in ra e or m e need for soak up y to decrease th el ns de t an pl d weeds. mulch, an and discourage n, io os er ce du water, re Finding half a worm!
than What's worse m or w a ng di fin o? at m to in your
TI P
Arf!
TIP
t now wha Do you k hen you you get w affe with ir cross a G hepherd? S n a og for Germ A watchd oor. h ft the fi fl
5
k your parents to chokes weeds, so as s as tly gr r lle Ta ! ow ghly but infrequen Let your grass gr r your lawn thorou te wa e , liz es rti ch fe in 3 do at u ht er if yo set the mower heig tural organic fertiliz na e us d s, oi m av d ste sy an ot s), ro er to encourage deep an chemical fertiliz ents more slowly th tri nu se lea re ll wi (which before heavy rain. applying fertilizer Why did the guy run a lawnmower en? through his gard
page 11
ed to Because he want lad sa d pe op ch make a in a hurry.
6
Help your parents co mpost leaves and gr ass clippings. Next year you will have rich co mp ost that can be used to en hance your garden so il. If you don’t compost, ca refully bag your lea ves and grass clippings. Leav es and grass clipping s placed in the street unbagg ed will clog storm dr ains. Did you hear the jo about the compo ke st pile?
Yeah, but it stinks!
1
What has 4 w heels and flies?
TI P
4
Yo Kids!
Protecting our water supply isn’t just an adult thing. It’s up to each and every one of us! Storm drains in the street (also called sewer inlets) are for water only. Philadelphia’s rain and melting snow pick up all kinds of pollutants as they wash over our sidewalks, streets, parking lots, and yards. All of this dirty water flows into storm drains, many of which empty into local creeks and the Schuylkill and Delaware Rivers. You can help make our waterways safer for drinking, fishing, and boating by keeping pollution and trash out of Philadelphia’s storm drains.
Keep litter off th e street. This in cludes candy wrappers, fast food containers , and other was Put trash in tras te. h cans and clea n-up street litte it doesn’t get w r so ashed or blown into the storm drains. A Trash Truck!
TIP
2
Ask your parents to service the car regularly to prevent oils and other fluids from leaking onto the pavement and being washed down the storm drains. People should always recycle used motor oil and antifreeze. Cars should be moved for street sweepings to allow for the removal of debris before it washes down the storm drains.
When is a car not a car?
ater by drinking w ste in r u o ct te lp pro ce dog wa You can he ur dog. Pla reet or down o y r e ft a p cleaning u ash can, not in the st iseaser a tr duces d the toilet o waste intro ly. g o D . in dra pp the storm ur water su eria into o ct a b g n si cau
When it turns into a driveway.
TI P
3
rden, and cut s expand your ga nerally nt re pa ur yo p Hel ardens ge of your lawn. G native plants, down on the size . than lawns Use ll fa in ra e or m e need for soak up y to decrease th el ns de t an pl d weeds. mulch, an and discourage n, io os er ce du water, re Finding half a worm!
than What's worse m or w a ng di fin o? at m to in your
TI P
Arf!
TIP
t now wha Do you k hen you you get w affe with ir cross a G hepherd? S n a og for Germ A watchd oor. h ft the fi fl
5
k your parents to chokes weeds, so as s as tly gr r lle Ta ! ow ghly but infrequen Let your grass gr r your lawn thorou te wa e , liz es rti ch fe in 3 do at u ht er if yo set the mower heig tural organic fertiliz na e us d s, oi m av d ste sy an ot s), ro er to encourage deep an chemical fertiliz ents more slowly th tri nu se lea re ll wi (which before heavy rain. applying fertilizer Why did the guy run a lawnmower en? through his gard
page 11
ed to Because he want lad sa d pe op ch make a in a hurry.
6
Help your parents co mpost leaves and gr ass clippings. Next year you will have rich co mp ost that can be used to en hance your garden so il. If you don’t compost, ca refully bag your lea ves and grass clippings. Leav es and grass clipping s placed in the street unbagg ed will clog storm dr ains. Did you hear the jo about the compo ke st pile?
Yeah, but it stinks!
