OCALA, FL (352today.com) – Yard work, mowing the front lawn, washing your car in your driveway, applying fertilizer and pesticides to your lawn to keep it green, trimming trees and hedges and blowing the debris into the street may provide for curb appeal in beautifying the neighborhood, but also may come with unexpected consequences.
Many people may not realize that everyday actions like using lawn chemicals, washing cars, or rinsing pollutants such as grease, oil, paint, and pet waste into streets can lead to illicit discharges. These seemingly harmless behaviors can introduce harmful toxins into Marion County’s stormwater system causing environmental damage, according to the County’s Water Resources Liaison Trevor Knight.
Lawn clippings are also problematic. When you blow clippings into the street, debris gets into the stormwater drains and pipes, blocking and restricting the space and compromising the functioning of those components…