Keep It Clean

    Hoover Crop  

Simple steps you can take at home to  prevent water pollution .


Take a Tour

Watershed Signage

Signage installed at Griggs, O'Shaughnessy & Hoover Reservoirs invites park visitors to  take a self-guided tour along the shoreline & learn about the green infrastructure installed there.

Rain gardens, porous pavement & more can improve the quality of storm water entering the reservoirs that supply our drinking water.

Non-point Source Pollution

Stormwater Runoff

Protect our Waterways
Illustration Courtesy of NCDENR

Pervious Pavement

Pavement DemoSlows Down, Soaks In & cleans Up Stormwater Naturally
View the Pervious Pavement signage installed at the reservoirs.

Rainfall and melting snow carry oils, sediments and other pollutants from impervious (non-porous) surfaces such as buildings, sidewalks, roads, driveways, parking lots and rooftops to nearly waterways.

One way to lessen the impact on our rivers and streams is to reduce the amount of impervious surface. Many alternatives provide a hard surface while allowing water to filter through and reach the underlying soil where pollutants can filter out naturally.

A parking lot (illustrated below) featuring pervious concrete and pavers, can be desinged so that regular asphalt drains towards the pervious sections, where pollutants can filter into the ground.

Water Fact: Did You Know?
Watershed health begins to decline with 10% impervious surface. 30% impervious cover shows severe impairment.  

Pavement Cross-section

Benefits Include:

  • Improves water quality
  • Melts snow & drains faster
  • Recharges groundwater
  • Reduces heat-island effects
  • Lessens downstream flooding & stream bank erosion