1. Properly dispose of products, such as cleaners that contain toxic chemicals, pesticides, paints, solvents, gasoline and flammable liquids. Do not dump these products into sewers, the ground, the toilet or the garbage. Take them to your local household hazardous waste depot. Call your city or municipality to find out where your household hazardous waste depot is.
2. Properly dispose of pharmaceutical drugs at your local drugstore that usually have programs to collect unused medications.
   

1. Do not wash yourself or your boat in surface waters
2. Work with cottage associations, local land trusts and municipalities to develop a lake plan to guide responsible development
3. Use a marine sanitation device for sewage discharge on houseboats and yachts, or a pumpout service – aim to use Green Marina’s when touring. 

1. Maintain wide vegetative cover along streams, ditches and runoff channels to prevent erosion and filter nutrients and sediment
2. Manage livestock grazing, as over grazing exposes soil and increases erosion
3. Discourage or prevent livestock from entering watercourses and provide livestock with an alternative water supply
4. Implement a Nutrient Management Plan, which manages the use of commercial fertilizers and manure to maintain high yields with minimal environmental and societal impact
5. Manage confined animal facilities and manure storage sites.
   

1. Maintain a natural shoreline and include a buffer zone of vegetation between the residence and the shore.
2. Do not create an artificial beach with imported sand. This damages fish habitat and spawning areas. Most cities and municipalities have regulations against artificial beach building.

If you have a private well, it is your responsibility to protect and maintain the well. Water wells should be sampled and tested regularly to help ensure that the water is safe for consumption. Good well management includes designating an appropriate well location and practicing good housekeeping around the well. Keep an adequate distance between your well and potential contaminant sources, including septic systems, pesticides, fertilizers and other sources of nutrients and hazardous materials.

Regularly maintaining a properly sized septic system, using water moderately, and taking care about what you dispose can help protect water sources. Signs of a malfunctioning septic system include toilets, showers and sinks that take a long time to drain, occasional sewage odours, and grass over the system that is unusually green or spongy. If you notice these signs, contact a licensed contractor. Some examples of what should not be flushed or poured down the drain include: