Only Rain: Home

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DID YOU KNOW…polluted runoff is the number one cause of water pollution in Northern Virginia? That’s right, the very same rain that washes streets, yards, and parking lots clean is sending chemicals, germs, and trash down the drain and into the local creeks where our kids play and fish and animals live!

That’s the bad news. But here’s the good news. If we work together, we can clean it up!

If only rain goes down the storm drain, we'll have clean and healthy waterways.

Let's work together to make sure that only rain runs down the stormdrain...

...so let's make sure only rain goes down the drain, so we can all enjoy clean and healthy waterways!

...because "down the drain" means "into the creek."

You Can Make A Difference!

Making sure there is enough clean water is everybody’s responsibility! Here’s how you can do your part to keep local waterways clean and healthy for everyone:

Fertilize in Fall, if at all — applying too much fertilizer to the yard is a rookie mistake. Yard experts test their soil before fertilizing. And they fertilize in September or October, so the spring rains don’t wash their money and hard work down the drain and into the local creek. Green thumbs — click here to learn more
Be the person your dog thinks you are. Dog &^%$#@! is full of germs that breed in water and cause disease. So pick the stuff up and put it in the trash — before the next rainstorm washes it down the drain and into the creek. Dog owners — click here to learn more
Recycle your used motor oil properly. Just a little bit of oil can pollute a lot of water. In fact, just two or three quarts can contaminate enough creek water to fill four or five Olympic swimming pool. That’s why you have to pay a big fine if you get caught dumping oil down a storm drain. Shade tree mechanics — click here to learn more

We’re Here to Help!

The Northern Virginia Clean Water Partners have prepared this web page to help you do your part to make sure there is enough clean water for people and for wildlife. We want future generations of Northern Virginia residents to enjoy spending time together along beautiful lakes and streams. We want you to enjoy peace of mind as you drink and cook with local tapwater.