A NSW Government website

How to reduce stormwater pollution

Here are some ways you can prevent stormwater pollution and help keep our waterways healthy.

 

Local councils control and maintain stormwater systems, but everyone can help stop pollution from entering our waterways.

In the garden

  • Wash your car on grass or gravel or take it to a car wash.
  • Reduce the use of pesticides, herbicides and fertilisers.
  • Stop dirt, leaves and grass clippings from entering gutter and drains – sweep hard paths and driveways regularly and put sweepings on the garden or in the compost or bin.
  • Stop soil and mulch from being washed or blown off the garden.
  • Replant areas of disturbed soil.
  • Use natural alternatives to pest control chemicals.

In the street

  • Stop leaves, litter and sediments from entering gutters and drains – sweep gutters and driveways regularly and put sweepings on the garden or in the compost or bin.
  • Sick up litter and put it in a bin – bin your cigarette butts.
  • Pick up pet droppings and dispose of them in a rubbish bin, the garden or the toilet.
  • Limit the use of detergent when cleaning outside.
  • Wash your car on grass or gravel or take it to a car wash.
  • Maintain your car – make sure fuel is burnt ‘cleanly’ and there are no fuel or oil leaks by keeping your car tuned.
  • Work on your car in the garage, not on the street or where oil and grease may wash into gutters.

During renovations

  • Wash paint brushes and rollers over a sand filter on the lawn.
  • Take paint, turps and solvents to your local recycling centre or chemical clean out.
  • Reuse turps once paint has settled.
  • Remove sand, gravel, cement and other building materials with a shovel and a bin or skip.
  • Cover your load – soil, sand or other waste – when taking it to the tip.

On the land

  • Stabilise the banks of rivers, creeks and streams by planting vegetation.
  • Control soil erosion by replanting areas of disturbed soil.
  • Set up barriers to prevent sediment from building sites washing into stormwater drains.
  • Reduce agricultural nutrient run-off – reduce the use of pesticides, herbicides and fertilisers.
  • Rehabilitate wetlands.

In the catchment

  • Set up pollution traps or filters to catch land-based pollution before it enters waterways.
  • Clean or empty pollution traps regularly.
  • Create artificial wetlands, a type of pollution trap, at the discharge point of a catchment.
  • Reduce run-off from unsealed roads by conducting routine maintenance.
  • Treat stormwater at the source of the pollutant – harvest rainwater or use biofiltration systems.
  • Retrofit stormwater treatment systems in developed areas.