Stormwater Pollution Prevention, City of Northfield, New Jersey

As a homeowner, resident, business or other member of the New Jersey community, it is important to know these easy things you can do every day to protect our water.

Limit your use of fertilizers and pesticides

Do a soil test to see if you need a fertilizer
Do not apply fertilizers if heavy rain is predicted
Look into alternatives for pesticides
Maintain a small lawn and keep the rest of your property or yard in a natural state with trees and other native vegetation that requires little or no fertilizer
If you use fertilizers and pesticides, follow the instructions on the label on how to correctly apply it
Make sure you property store or discard any unused portions

Proper use and dispose of hazardous products

Hazardous products include some household or commercial cleaning products, lawn and garden care products, motor oil, antifreeze, and paints
Do not pour any hazardous products down a storm drain because storm drains are usually connected to local bodies of water and the water is not treated
If you have hazardous products in your home or workplace, make sure you store or dispose of them properly; read the label for guidance
Use natural or less toxic alternatives when possible
Recycle used motor oil
Contact the Atlantic County Utilities Authority (ACUA) at 609-272-6950, visit their website at www.acua.com, refer to the ACUA’s Recycling Schedule, distributed to your home by the ACUA in January.

Keep pollution out of storm drains

Municipalities and many other public agencies are required to mark certain storm drain inlets with messages reminding people that storm drains are connected to local bodies of water
Do not let sewerage or other wastes flow into a stormwater system

Clean up after your pet

Northfield enforce local pet waste rules as per Chapter 97, Animals, under the Code of the City of Northfield. An example is requiring pet owners or their keepers to pick up and properly dispose of pet waste dropped on public property or other people’s property
Make sure you know the requirements of the City of Northfield and comply with them; it’s the law
And remember to:
Use newspapers, paper bags, or pooper-scoopers to pick up wastes
Dispose of wrapped pet waste in the trash or unwrapped in a toilet
DO NOT WRAP PET WASTE IN (NON-BIODEGRADABLE) PLASTIC BAGS
Never discard pet waste in a storm drain

Do not feed wildlife

Do not feed wildlife, such as ducks, geese, and seagulls in public areas
The City of Northfield enforces a rule that prohibits wildlife feeding in public areas, including Birch Grove Park

Don’t litter

Place litter in trash receptacles
Recycle! Recycle! Recycle!
Volunteer for community cleanups

Dispose of yard waste properly

Keep leaves and grass out of storm drains
Follow yard waste collection rules according the ACUA guidelines distributed to your home by the ACUA in January

If you have misplaced your ACUA Recycling Guidelines you can review them here or copies are available in the City of Northfield Clerk’s Office

Use leaves and grass clippings as a resource for compost
Use a mulching mower that recycles grass clippings into the lawn

If your car leaks oil in the driveway, you might as well let it leak in the Ocean.

A GUIDE TO HEALTHY HABITS FOR CLEANER WATER

Pollution on streets, parking lots and lawns is washed by rain into storm drains, then directly to our drinking water supplies and the ocean and lakes our children play in. Fertilizer, oil, pesticides, detergents, pet waste, grass clippings: You name it and it ends up in our water.
Stormwater pollution is one of New Jerseys’ greatest threats to clean and plentiful water, and that’s why we’re all doing something about it.
By sharing the responsibility and making small, easy changes in our daily lives, we can keep common pollutants out of stormwater. It all adds up to cleaner water, and it saves the high cost of cleaning up once it’s dirty.
As part of New Jersey’s initiative to keep our water clean and plentiful and to meet federal requirements, many municipalities and other public agencies including colleges and military bases must adopt ordinances or other rules prohibiting various activities that contribute to stormwater pollution. Breaking these rules can result in fines or other penalties.

Contact Information

For more information on stormwater related topics, visit www.cleanwaternj.org . Additional detailed technical information is available at www.njstormwater.org or www.nonpointsoruce.org. Additional information is also available at U.S. Environmental Protection Agency websites: www.epa.gov/npdes/stormwater or www.epa.gov/nps , or by contacting the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, Division of Water Quality, Bureau of Nonpoint Pollution Control, Municipal Stormwater Regulation Program at 609-633-7021.

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