Residential Pollution Prevention

Taking Pride In Our City

Brea residents take pride in a clean city and understand that everyone is a partner in preventing pollution. Read on to get key stormwater guidelines for the home. Additional free educational materials including brochures, posters, and multimedia materials are available for download.

For a quick review of best practices around your home, please read through the following information.

Landscaping & Gardening

Pesticides and herbicides not only kill garden invaders, they also harm insects, poison fish, and contaminate ground and ocean water. Use organic or non-toxic fertilizers and pesticides. Do not use fertilizer or use pesticides near ditches, gutters, or storm drains. Do not blow, sweep, hose, or rake leaves into the street, gutter, or storm drain. Place clippings and pruning waste into appropriate yard waste containers.

Smart Timer Irrigation Controller

Most landscapes are over watered, leading directly to the dry weather urban runoff that contaminates our creeks, channels, and ocean. Now you can become a zero runoff home with a Smart Timer irrigation controller proven to reduce runoff, over watering, and water bills.

Household Hazardous Waste Disposal

Household toxics include household cleaners, paint products, and motor oil. Take your excess household chemicals and toxic waste to a local Household Hazardous Waste Roundup instead of illegally dumping them on the ground, down the sink, or into a gutter, street, or storm drain. Call the nearby Orange County collection center at 714-834-6752 for current hours or directions to their location.

Construction & Remodeling

Read the following information if you are remodeling or have construction projects occurring.

Erosion Control

• Schedule grading and excavation projects for dry weather.
• Cover excavated material and stockpiles of asphalt and sand with plastic tarps.
• Prevent erosion by planting fast-growing annual and perennial grasses.

Recycle

Use a crushing company to recycle cement, asphalt, and porcelain rather than taking these substances to a landfill.

Painting

Paints and solvents contain chemicals that are harmful to sea life. The chemicals come from liquid or solid products or from cleaning residues on rags. It is important to prevent these chemical from entering storm drains.

Paint Clean Up

Never clean brushes or rinse paint containers into a street, gutter, or storm drain. For brushes and tools used with oil-based paints, clean brushes with thinner and then filter and reuse thinner or contain it and dispose at a Household Hazardous Waste facility. Latex-based paint brushes and tools should be cleaned in a sink that drains to the sewer. When dry, used brushes, empty paint cans (lids off), rags, and drop cloths may be disposed in the trash.

Paint Removal

Chemical paint stripping residue should be taken to a household hazardous waste collection site.

Paint Recycling

Reuse leftover paint for touch-ups or recycle it at a local household hazardous waste collection site.

Concrete & Masonry

Fresh concrete and mortar application materials can wash down or blow into the street, gutter, or storm drain, posing a hazard to sea life and humans. Do not mix up more fresh concrete or cement than you need. Store bags of cement and plaster under cover. Protect these materials from rainfall, runoff and wind, away from gutters and storm drains. Never dispose of cement washout or concrete dust onto driveways, streets, gutters, or storm drains.