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News Release

Date:
Contact:
For Immediate Release

Pollution Solutions In the Garden and On the Lawn

Preventing water pollution is easier than you think. Making simple changes to your every day activities can lead to big water quality benefits. This growing season, try gardening and lawn care techniques that beautify your property and offer water pollution solutions.

"People often don't realize that many home and yard activities can contribute significantly to water pollution," explains __________, manager of the ________ County Conservation District. "For instance, if applied at the wrong rate and time, lawn fertilizer can run off your property during heavy rains and create problems for streams and ground water supplies. Fertilizer pollution can cost you money because what runs off may need to be re-applied. The good news is that with a little effort, each of us can make a difference in protecting water quality."

Consider the following pollution solutions for your lawn and garden:

• Reseed bare lawn patches and cover them with mulch to avoid erosion.
• Select plants carefully. Choose native species that have low water and fertilizer requirements and resist pests. Trees, shrubs and groundcover absorb more water than a grass lawn.
• Fertilize carefully. Choose natural alternatives if possible. Use soil tests to determine what is needed and then use only as much as you need. Follow all label directions. In general, it is better to apply fertilizer in the fall than in the spring. And, don't apply fertilizers or pesticides before or during rain.
• Adopt Integrated Pest Management (IPM). IPM is an ecological approach to pest management that integrates cultural, genetic, mechanical, biological and chemical control methods. Cultural and genetic controls work by creating optimal plant conditions, but unfavorable conditions for pests. Biological controls use natural predatory relationships to control insects (for example, enticing insect-eating birds to your garden by providing suitable habitat). Mechanical controls use physical disturbance to remove pests; for example, remove large insects by hand. Chemical controls include natural and synthetic pesticides.
• Keep your mowing height high. A "taller" lawn holds water better and helps shade out weeds.
• Leave grass clippings on the lawn so nutrients are recycled.
• Compost yard trimmings. Compost gradually releases nutrients in the garden, decreases the need for fertilizer and retains moisture to conserve water.
• Use landscaping techniques that increase water infiltration and decrease runoff.
• Create a rain garden. Strategically placed around the yard to collect and filter runoff, rain gardens include native plants that thrive on excess water. The idea of the rain garden is to allow as much stormwater runoff to infiltrate the soil as possible. Plant roots filter the water, cleaning it before it reaches the groundwater.
• Don't over water. This can increase the leaching of fertilizers into groundwater. Hand water or use slow-watering techniques such as soaker hoses.

Many resources are available for guidance on these activities. Start by contacting your county conservation district at ________ (give as much contact information as possible) or the Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts, Inc. (PACD) at www.pacd.org.

(Information for this article was provided by the Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts, Inc., the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, and Lancaster County Conservation District.)