Summer is right around the corner, San Mateo County! It’s time to take stock of your sunscreen, bring out the beach toys, and dig up your swimsuits from the back of your closets. Whether you’re planning on keeping it easy (hello staycation!) or planning a five-part road trip extravaganza, we’re here to give you some quick tips for keeping our waterways fresh and clean all summer long.
Heading to the Beach
Nothing says “summer” more than heading to the beach! Follow these tips to ensure that our oceans and beaches stay beautiful for generations to come:
- Bag it up: Bring a spare bag for food wrappers, empty soda cans, or any other waste made while lapping up the rays and waves. Better yet, bring a pair of gloves and dive into a DIY beach cleanup!
- Opt for “reef safe” sunscreen: Seek out sunscreens that have zinc oxide and titanium dioxide as the active ingredients. These mineral-based sunscreens are safe, effective, and don’t harm coral reefs (while many chemical sunscreens do!).
- Go reusable: Before heading out, pack a filled and chilled reusable water bottle to stay hydrated all day long. If you’re packing a beach picnic, bring some reusable utensils too. These small actions will reduce the amount of plastics that may sadly end up in our beautiful ocean.
Maintaining Your Swimming Pool
Time to freshen up the pool? Follow these simple tips for proper disposal of pool water to ensure harmful chemicals don’t enter our storm drains!
- Drain properly: Always drain your pool water into a sewer line and never into the street or storm drain system. For convenience, use the sewer clean-out connection in your yard. You can also drain into a toilet, bathtub or sink inside your home.
- Check pH: Make sure the pH reads somewhere between 6.5 and 8.5 in order to minimize copper pipe corrosion that can stain your pool and end up in our creeks and the Bay. If you’re not sure, check with your pool maintenance company for assistance.
- Clean and clear: Minimize algae buildup to prevent the need for toxic algaecides. Ask your pool maintenance service for help resolving persistent algae problems without using copper algaecide.
Find more waterway-friendly pool maintenance tips here!
Digging Into Gardening
- Cut down on pesticides: Limit your use of pesticides as much as possible. Even when spot-treating, these chemicals can find their way into our storm drains after watering days, harming aquatic life. Check out our Pest Management webpage for pesticide alternatives.
- Get earthy: Mulch and compost are your friends! These natural garden amendments are great at boosting soil health and increasing water retention capacity for happy plants. In turn, mulch and compost help reduce the need for chemical-intensive fertilizers which can otherwise contaminate our waterways.
- Consider a rain garden: The summer may mean less rain, but that makes it the perfect time to set up your very own rain garden. Not only are rain gardens beautiful, but also wonderful at naturally storing and filtering water once the rainy season hits. Find rain garden rebates and resources here to get started.
Hitting the Road
Heading on a road trip for summer break? Make sure you leave as little trace behind as possible with these tips:
- Clean up spills: Even if you’re not a cat “pawrent,” it’s always a good idea to have an absorbent material like kitty litter on hand to soak up any leaks and spills from your car (such as motor oil or antifreeze). When left on the road, these spills eventually become contaminants in our waterways!
- Leave no trace: Be sure to have a spare trash bag in the car for any on-the-go snack wrappers, tissues, or any other waste. Not only will this prevent any roadside litter making its way to our waters, but also make car cleanup a breeze.
- Leave it to the pros: After all your adventures, you may find your car in need of a good wash. Hold off on the soap and sponge and head over to your local professional car wash where they’re well equipped to filter and reuse any water.
