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Often, homeowners apply fertilizers to help out lawns that don’t naturally receive enough nutrients. Fertilizer helps to optimize grass growth, but you can have too much of a good thing. Over-fertilizing or improperly applying fertilizers can lead to excess nutrients in the soil, such as nitrogen and phosphorus, which can degrade water quality. These nutrients [...]

When we think about oil pollution in estuaries and along the coasts, many of us think of the giant oil rigs and big spills like the Deepwater Horizon spill last year. But most oil pollution is generally the result of small spills and leaks from boats and ships. When oil comes into shallow waters and [...]

Heavy rains are no friend to our local ponds and rivers. Rain water rushes down gutter spouts into streets and storm drains, carrying oil, fertilizer and other pollutants with it. Viewer Tip: Make precipitation your passion by adding a rain barrel in your yard! Rain barrels collect water for free, saving you big on your [...]

When it rains, what goes down the storm drain? As rain water flows over yards, driveways and city streets, it picks up pet waste, fertilizers and pesticides, oil from cars, trash and other pollutants. It’s tempting to think that storm water visits the local waste water treatment plant, but in most communities water that goes [...]

Find out in this fun, animated short from the National Environmental Education Foundation, the Alice Ferguson Foundation and the District Department of the Environment.  You may download and use this video on-air and online using the links below. Download the video in broadcast (317 MB) or web (7 MB) quality QuickTime file. Download a west [...]

Did you know that many of the insects in your garden are more beneficial than harmful? When gardeners see insects or insect damage on their plants, many reach for pesticides in an effort to eliminate harmful pests. Unfortunately, pesticides can kill valuable garden insects – like ladybugs, assassin bugs and praying mantis – and may [...]

This week (April 10-17, 2011) is National Environmental Education Week (EE Week – a sister program of Earth Gauge), the nation’s largest environmental education event held each year the week before Earth Day to inspire environmental learning and stewardship among students and the public. This year’s EE Week theme is “Ocean Connections,” highlighting that no [...]

Trash and chemicals that end up in the street drain directly into our waterways. For example, old motor oil that is poured down a storm drain on the side of the street will wind up in Tampa Bay. Fertilizer and pet waste that do not get absorbed by lawns also flow into the streets, down [...]

Spring is the best time of year for planting trees, shrubs or other garden plants. Native trees and shrubs are an important part of a healthy Pacific Northwest. In the Pacific Northwest we still have lots of evergreen forests. But in our cities and suburbs, birds, animals and fish can benefit from having more native [...]

Did you know that a typical city block generates more than five times as much rainwater or snowmelt runoff as a forested area of the same size?  This is because rooftops and pavement do not allow water to soak into the ground like forests, wetlands and grasslands do.  Instead, rainwater and snowmelt runs off pavement [...]

Did you know that mulch provides year-round protection for your plants?  It provides warmer soil in winter, cooler soil in summer and prevents water from evaporating from the soil too quickly.  Mulch slows weed growth during the warmer spring and summer months, and reduces the impact of foot traffic. Organic and mineral mulches also give [...]

San Juan Bay provides a number of resources to Puerto Ricans, including commercial ports, beaches, recreation areas and historic areas. The Bay, which is partially enclosed by surrounding marshes, mangroves and land, has a limited ability to flush water out, making it particularly susceptible to accumulation of pollutants. Viewer Tip: With so many water resources [...]

During the winter months, salt and sand applied to our roads, driveways and walkways contribute to lake and stream pollution. Fifty pounds of salt – one large bag – can pollute 10,000 gallons of water.  That’s equivalent to one teaspoon of salt in a five-gallon bucket of water. Viewer Tip: Many cities and states are [...]

Wintertime in the Chesapeake Bay area means snow and ice. Unfortunately, that also means rock salt and other deicers on our streets and highways. On average, the Chesapeake region gets between 10 and 20 million pounds of road salt applied to its roadways every winter. Much of that salt finds its way into urban streams [...]

Rain keeps our forests in the Pacific Northwest green. Raindrops also wash off our roofs, across lawns and down onto streets and parking lots, carrying chemicals from our yards and automobiles to local waterways. These chemicals are absorbed by small organisms that are eaten by fish, birds and animals and can disrupt reproduction and ability to fight [...]

Earth Gauge Video is available for this tip. A recent study looked at the impacts of driveways, sidewalks, streets and other hard surfaces on life in streams near urban areas across the country. When just 10 percent of a watershed is covered by pavement, aquatic life declines in streams by as much as 33 percent. [...]

A 2009 survey of Texas residents found that four in 10 Texans admitted to littering in the past month. More than half of those people littered while driving or riding in a car; others littered when a trashcan could not be located or when walking or playing outside. Litter is more than an eyesore – [...]

Unlike pollution from industrial sources and sewage treatment plants, non-point source (NPS) water pollution comes from many diffuse sources. Polluted runoff is caused by rainwater or snowmelt moving over and through the ground. As the runoff moves, it carries and deposits pollutants – such as fertilizers, pesticides and yard wastes like grass clippings and leaves [...]

Leaves in the streets this fall equal green lakes next summer. According to the Madison Area Municipal Storm Water Partnership, when it rains, any yard debris in the street gets washed directly into the nearest lake or stream via storm drains. Even if the leaves never move, rainwater running over and through them makes a [...]

A recent study by the U.S. Geological Survey found elevated levels of nitrogen and phosphorus in many streams and groundwater supplies across the country. Elevated levels were most often found in streams near agricultural areas, particularly in the Northeast, Midwest and Northwest, as well as near urban areas. In many cases, concentrations of nitrogen and [...]