Fertilizers may help your garden or lawn grow, but nitrogen and phosphorus, nutrients found in fertilizers, can harm downstream water quality. When it rains, any fertilizer nutrients that haven’t been used by plants are washed away into our streams and rivers. These nutrients can cause excessive growth of algae and aquatic weeds. Algae reduce the amount of oxygen in the water, which kills fish and aquatic wildlife.

Take the following actions to help protect our streams and rivers:

• Only fertilize if necessary and do not overapply.
• Use a soil test to measure existing nutrient levels.
• If your soil phosphorus levels are adequate, select a phosphorus-free fertilizer.
• Select slow-release and organic fertilizers, which are less likely to wash away.
• Spread grass clippings over your lawn to provide needed nitrogen to soil.
• Fertilize lawns in the fall to promote root growth and prevent nutrients from washing away during spring rains.

Learn more at pgh2o.com/help-manage-stormwater.