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Welcome to a page made just for you!

Do you know how our creeks and beaches get polluted? Or have you ever

wondered what those holes in the sidewalk were for? Well, read on to find out…

Water pollution can come from a lot of different places, but the number one reason that our creeks, rivers, lakes and beaches get dirty is from the water and other pollutants that flow into storm drains. Look below to find out more.

 "Puddles" the Duck Says:

Yuck! Can you imagine swimming in all the gross stuff that’s on our streets? Soaps, grass clipping, trash, pet waste, pesticides and fertilizers, dirt and oil are just some of the pollutants that make our water unhealthy for people and other animals.

   

What’s storm water pollution? Storm water is the water that runs down the street when it’s raining. Storm water enters holes in the gutter called storm drains. Water that flows down the street when it’s not raining, like when you wash your car or water your lawn, is called urban runoff.

Confused yet? Take a look…

This stormwater falls on land and washes into our street sewers, and drains into our lakes, rivers and ponds.   If pollutants, such as motor oil, bug sprays or soap are on the ground, they are washed into our clean water.

Keeping water clean in Lake County is especially important since we have so much of it.  We have more water in Lake County than land.   We have 228 square miles of land and over 750 square miles of water, including 31 miles of shoreline along Lake Erie.  Lake County received its name because of our location next to Lake Erie.

How do we protect our environment?

The Environmental Protection Agency has set up guidelines to help keep our water safe and clean.  Part of the guidelines call upon Lake County to improve our current lakes, ponds and rivers by making them cleaner.

We can also keep our water sources clean by recycling and removing garbage form the ground so that it is not washed into drains that flow into our lakes, ponds and rivers.  You can use our Action Plan to help do this at home.

Ask mom or dad to use a car wash machine.  Don't wash your car on a driveway or street where soapy water can drain into sewers. 

Make sure leftover paint is recycled and that empty paint cans are disposed of properly.

Scoop and clean up pet waste in the yard so that it does not wash into our sewers.

When the oil in your car is changed, make sure the old oil is recycled, and that any spills are cleaned.

Rake and sweep up leaves, grass and other yard debris.  Bag and dispose of yard waste properly, or start a compost pile.

Click here for a Stormwater Activity Book that
you can print.