There are many ways you can improve water quality in your neighborhood. Small steps you make to clean up pet waste, hazardous waste, or to maintain your septic system properly can make a big difference.

Check out more information on these topics below:

What is an illicit discharge?

Illicit discharge is concentrated water pollution entering a stream, river or lake. Illicit discharge is water pollution that can contain sewage, chemicals, detergents, soil or bacteria. 

In many towns and cities you will see a number of pipes leading directly into the streams. These pipes carry runoff from streets, parking lots and rooftops and should only contain water.

If you see a pipe that has bubbles, floating materials, odd colors or a smell coming from it and entering a creek, that is illicit discharge. 

Household hazardous waste (HHW), are products around your home that contain volatile chemicals, such as chloride.

Examples of HHW include:

• Car batteries
• Gasoline
• Motor oil
• Oil-based paint
• Pesticides

Any bottle in your house that says "warning", "danger" or "caution" is hazardous and may end up in stormwater and our local rivers or contaminate landfills by putting toxic materials into the soil and groundwater.

Remember, sewer treatment plants are not able to treat HHW, so chemicals that are dumped down the sink can end up untreated in our rivers.

 View Proper Disposal Options

Low Impact Development (LID) is development that reduces its impact on the environment. By working with natural hills and landscape features, developers minimize the amount of pollution that leaves the site.

LID saves developers money by conserving water, reducing the need for fertilizers and reduces the cost of grading. In addition, developers see a 10% cost savings by not using gutters, piping and storm drains.

Lastly, LID minimizes disturbance to the land, reducing soil compaction and remediation costs. LID for your yard can be achieved with permeable pavers and downspout disconnection.

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Cleaning supplies, grease, and "dumpster juice" can all affect your sanitation score if not disposed of properly. If they happen to go down a storm drain, they may harm aquatic life and water quality.

Keep dumpster lids and doors closed, close lids and clean up spills, clean mats and dispose of wash water in a mop sink or can wash basin.

Protect our waters by letting the plants grow!

A vegetated buffer is a combination of plants that grow along a river, stream or lake and reduce the amount of pollution entering the water.

Establish a "no mow" area along your stream bank, lakefront or ditch. Plant trees, shrubs, and bunch grasses in your buffer zone. Native plants have deeper roots, which secure stream banks and prevent erosion. When roots die off, they leave tunnels in the soil, which help water soak into the ground.

Periodically pick up litter that gets caught in the plants. Pick up pet waste and fertilizers in clear weather to reduce nutrients entering the water.

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The stuff we wash off our cars contains major water pollutants like oil, grease and heavy metals, while detergents contain surfactants. If the water enters a storm drain, it will get into our streams and rivers. Wash your car on the grass, use biodegradable detergents, or use a commercial car wash.

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When it rains, dog waste runs into storm drains and then into lakes, streams and rivers. Dog waste contains roundworms, E coli, and Giardia. Excess nutrients found in dog waste cause algal blooms, which reduce oxygen in the water and can cause fish and other aquatic life to die.

Remember to always scoop the poop!

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Lawn chemicals like pesticides and fertilizers pollute our streams and lakes.

Yard wastes, such as leaves, grass clippings, sticks and limbs, can block underground drainage pipes and culverts, cause flooding and add more nutrients to the water.

Apply chemicals to lawn when the forecast calls for sunny weather, and/or increase your use of compost and native plants.

Never sweep or blow anything into the storm drain.

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You can make a big difference in your neighborhood by picking up litter.

Even very small pieces of waste, like cigarette butts, can hurt the ecosystems of your local streams, harming turtles, fish, and other aquatic life.

Other common pollutants, like empty cans and food wrappers, become "floatable" pollutants in the creeks and streams near your home or school.

 View NCDOT Safety Rules & Guidelines