Whether you have a stream running through your backyard, business, local school or park, protecting it is a good idea. Many property owners upstream may not realize that what they do on their land impacts other residents and water quality downstream. Every day pollutants such as trash, yard waste (e.g., grass clippings, leaves, prunings, or fruits), paint, construction debris (e.g., stockpiles of soil, sand, or gravel), used motor oil, fertilizers and pesticides, and dog waste reach our urban streams. Trash on stream banks are unsightly and unsanitary for humans and wildlife. Even organic materials such as yard waste are unacceptable to dump along streams banks. When these materials get into the stream cycle, they decompose and eliminate critical, life-giving oxygen from the water. As a result, streams become unsightly and emit foul odors.
