Autumn leaves are lovely to look at as they paint Hampton Roads in golden shades of orange, yellow and red. But once these leaves start drifting to the ground, we all know what a mess will be left behind. If you’ve been blowing those annoying leaves into the street and down the storm drain for years – you’ve blown it! Leaves should never be blown or raked into storm drains. When leaves enter storm drains, they clog the pipes and cause street flooding. And if they aren’t removed, the leaves will start to decay, which sends a whole lot of nutrients into our waterways. Our local fish and crab populations can’t thrive when nutrient-fueled algal blooms choke the waterways. We know you want to do your part to protect our water. Read on to find out how you can help us keep our rivers and streams clean this fall.

Good to Do:

• Never rake or blow leaves into streets, ditches, marshes or storm drains.
• Check with your locality to find out how leaves will be collected (bagging, curbside leaf vacuuming, etc.).  Only place leaves and other yard debris at the curbside on the designated pickup day.
• Mow over your leaves to create finely chopped mulch and then leave them in place.  You’ll love how easy it is and your lawn will love the mulch!
• Put your fallen leaves into your compost bin.  Come spring, your garden will be thankful for the fertile soil.
• So now you know how NOT to blow it this fall.  Get more tips on controlling pollution with earth-friendly lawn maintenance.