Pollution Prevention for Lawn Care

Lawn Chemical Use & Watering

To achieve the desired lawn or garden, watering and the use of lawn chemicals seems unavoidable. Here are some tips to have the perfect lawn in the most environmentally friendly way:

• Use lawn chemicals, such as pesticides and fertilizers, sparingly and according to the manufacturer’s recommended amounts. Using a spray pattern indicator can help you remember which areas have already been sprayed to avoid over-applying the product.
• Avoid use if the forecast calls for rain. This could lead to the chemicals washing off, mixing in with the stormwater runoff, and going into the local creek. Follow the manufacture’s recommendation on when is the best time to spray.
• Use non-toxic or biodegradable lawn care chemicals for the most earth-friendly option. Some friendlier chemicals can be purchased or made at home using natural ingredients.
• Water your lawn during the cool times of day such as the morning, evening, or overnight. Be careful not to over water or let the potable water run into a nearby storm drain. Potable water has been filtered and treated in a process involving chemicals such as chlorine. While it is safe to drink, the trace amounts of chlorine can change the chemistry of natural waters. This can cause stress for fish and potentially harm them.
• Adding a rain barrel to your downspout can collect rainwater which can be used to water your garden more naturally in lieu of potable water. This can also help save on the cost of your water bill.

Mowing & Leaf Blowing

Yard debris is made up of mown grass clippings during warm months or fallen leaves during cold months. These natural plant materials seem harmless but can pose some risk to the health of natural waters.  Below is some information on the importance of yard debris and how to handle it:

• Grass clippings and leaves can act as a natural fertilizer in creeks. As these plant materials decompose in the creek, they will use the water’s oxygen and release nutrients. The released nutrients cause aquatic plants such as algae to grow. Even more of the water’s oxygen is used by the aquatic plants either during nighttime or if the plants decompose. If the creek water’s oxygen becomes excessively depleted, it could cause fish and other aquatic organisms to become stressed, leave the area, or die.
• Keeping yard debris on your lawn has multiple benefits. The plant material can act as a natural fertilizer for your lawn, instead of the creek! Yard debris can also help retain moisture on your lawn which means less watering. Fallen leaves are essential for some beloved insects and wildlife to build habit in, including fireflies, bats, box turtles, and luna moths (source: National Wildlife Federation). If you don’t want fallen leaves strown about your lawn or are required to rake by an HOA, you could possibly rake them into a smaller bundle under the tree to still help the insects and wildlife.
• Sweep or blow yard debris from paved surfaces back onto the yard. Don’t blow the plant material into the street or hose them down the storm drain. If an excessive amount collects around a storm drain, it could clog the storm sewers and cause flooding during a rain event.
• Dispose of excessive amounts of yard waste at green waste recycling facilities. Midwest City residents can recycle yard waste and other woody materials at the Midwest City Compost Facility. This prevents excessive organic matter from ending up in the landfill or natural creek waters.

Pet Waste Clean-up

Whether it is in your own yard or in a public space, cleaning up pet waste can help keep our natural waters safe. Here is some information and tips on how to properly handle pet waste:

• When walking your dog in a park or public space, remember to pick up the waste and dispose of it properly in a trash bin. Be mindful of where your dog does his or her business. Is it by the trail directly next to the creek? That waste poses an even greater risk of directly entering the creek waters. Carry a couple of doggy bags or reused plastic sacks to pick up the waste. Our fish friends will thank you for it!
• At your home, leaving pet waste in the yard increases public and environmental health risks by allowing harmful bacteria and nutrients to wash off of your yard, mix with the stormwater runoff, and go into the streets, storm drains, and eventually the creek.
• Pet waste is not fertilizer. Due to the contents in our pets’ food, their waste is not a useable manure-fertilizer for plants. Although pet waste does contain nutrients, they often do more harm than good when they are washed into the storm sewer system. A high concentration of these nutrients can contribute to an increase in aquatic plant growth in creeks and lakes. This growth can lead to a decrease in the amount of oxygen available for aquatic wildlife. To keep a healthy balance in our natural waters, it is best to dispose of pet waste in the trash.

Benefits of Native Plants and Detriments of Sediment

Supporting native plant growth around your home can benefit important insects, birds, and other wildlife. Meanwhile, land disturbance and exposed soil can cause harm to natural waters and wildlife. Below are some explanations as to why and tips to help:

• Sediment is the number one pollutant of natural waters. While sediment naturally occurs at the bottom of a creek, it can also be introduced by man-made means such as exposed soil from construction sites or soil erosion from a lawn or landscaping projects.
• Sediment deposited into a creek can have multiple physical effects:
  • 1) Once sediment settles out of the water and onto the bottom of the creek, the creek’s depth and direction of flow can change. Fish may not find a shallow creek to be good habitat and may leave the area.
  • 2) Sediment can increase the turbidity, or cloudiness, of the creek which likely includes a change in color. Cloudy, opaque waters can make it difficult for aquatic plants to grow or photosynthesize. Creek waters that are mud red in color after a rain event is a sign that sediment has entered the water.  
  • 3) Sediment particles in the water can surround bacteria like a shield, protecting it from being destroyed by the potable water treatment process. 
• Patch up bare spots of your yard to prevent soil erosion by adding vegetation, ideally native plants or grasses. Cover piles of dirt used for landscaping projects to prevent sediment from blowing or washing off into the street or storm drain.  
• Consider implementing certain ideas to increase the infiltration of rainwater in your yard and reduce polluted runoff, such as directing downspouts away from paved surfaces and onto lawns, adding a rain barrel, or creating a rain garden with native plants and grasses.
• For your lawn or garden, select native plants and grasses that are drought tolerant and require less water or chemicals. In addition, they attract beneficial birds, pollinators, and wildlife that can help keep unwanted pests under control. Native plant seeds are typically given out for free at events from environmental exhibitors and are easy to spread in the fall and see grow in the spring!