at-home Construction

Construction comes in many forms from renovating your home to building a skyscraper. Construction projects that disturb one or more acre of land through clearing, grading, excavating, or filling material are covered by the Wisconsin DNR. Small scale construction projects like repainting the outside of your home, recreating your backyard landscape, or even building a patio can still have an impact on our freshwater systems. Do not fret there are tips you can take to revitalize your house and respect our waters!

Painting

  • Be mindful of amount of paint, purchase only what you need and pour out in small amounts of times

  • Wash your brushes before it dries so you don’t need harsh chemicals to remove it.

  • When painting outside, make sure to use liners so paint does not get on your lawn and have the potential to wash away during high rain events.

  • Dispose of properly! Never dump paint down the drain! Instead recycle at your local hazardous waste collection site.

Yard Renovation

When redesigning your yard keep our waters in mind by following these tips

  • Keep piles of dirt, sediment, and yard waste contained and away from your storm drain.

  • Avoid compacting the soil.

  • Add compost before planting new seeds or putting down sod.

  • Consider planting natives and rain gardens to increase filtration of stormwater.

  • Make sure you apply fertilizers and pesticides appropriately, don’t overuse.

Backyard Patio and Other Structures

  • Keep construction materials contained and away from your storm drain

  • Consider using permeable pavers to allow water to infiltrate.

  • Get a rain barrel to harvest rain water.