Consider taking the car to a commercial car wash, or wash the car on the grass to filter pollutants. Washing the car on the street or driveway on a sunny day may be as American as baseball, but car washing detergents are toxic to fish and other aquatic animals and may contain nutrients that cause algae blooms.  The runoff also carries heavy metals, sediments, oil and grease that are washed off the vehicle.  Using a nozzle on the hose limits water use and runoff.

Do not hose off engine degreaser, tire cleaner, brake fluid, antifreeze or oil that was spilled on the driveway.  Instead, sprinkle cornmeal, sawdust, cat litter over the spill let it soak a few hours, then sweep it up and properly dispose of it.

Fix that leak!  Most of us wouldn’t think of pouring a quart of oil in the river or lake.  Yet we allow our cars to leak oil, gas, and antifreeze onto our streets, roads, and parking lots and eventually into our waterways.