Below are some practical steps you can take to protect our water from pollution and contamination.

• Don’t fertilize or apply pesticides when rain is forecast in the next 48 hours because they could get washed into a manhole or down a storm drain. After applying fertilizer or granular pesticides, sweep your sidewalks and driveways, placing the swept up fertilizer or pesticide on your lawn or back in the container for use next time.
• When it rains, pollutants are carried from streets, parking lots and our lawns directly into our local creeks by storm drains. Prevent water pollution by keeping all outdoor areas at your home or place of business clean and free of pollution.
• Don’t pour leftover pesticides down the sink, into the toilet or down a sewer or street drain. Shareyour extra pesticides with a friend or neighbor or dispose of them at Fort Worth’s Environmental Collection Center, 6400 Bridge St. They can be reached at 817-871-5287.
• If you wash your car or boat at home, use a minimal about of detergent and wash on a grassy area. Detergents running into the street means detergents in our creeks. Visit the Water Department's outdoor water conservation page and the Environmental Management Department for more information.
•  When you have a pest problem, the first step is to correctly diagnose it. Consultyour county extension agent or nursery professional for help in determining your problem pest. Use all available cultural controls first, and use pesticides only as a last resort. If pesticide application is absolutely necessary, choose the material proven to be the safest and most effective. Contact the Tarrant County Cooperative Extension Service for more information.
• Use biological controls whenever feasible. Ladybugs and their larvae eat aphids, mealybugs, whiteflies and mites. Encourage and protect beneficial organisms. Other beneficial predators are centipedes, spiders, ground beetles, lacewings, dragonflies, big-eyed bugs and ants. Birds eat mosquitoes and other insects. Encourage birds into your yard by installing a bird feeder. Visit the Water Department's pesticide alternatives page for more information.
• Whether a pesticide is natural or synthetic, following the label directionsis very important to prevent polluting local waterways. It is not true that if a little is good, a lot must be better. And just because a pesticide is organic does not mean that it is less toxic to humans. In fact, some synthetic materials are actually less toxic and more efficient than some natural insecticides.
•  Thoroughly clean sprayer nozzles, spreaders and other application equipment over the yard so residue is absorbed into the lawn. Triple rinse empty containers of liquid pesticides and pour the rinse water into your sprayer for use next time. Wrap the rinsed container in newspaper and throw it out with your garbage.