How You Can Help
Be a part of a growing community of concerned residents and businesses who are committed to protecting Denver's precious water resources.
Protect our Lakes, Rivers, and Streams
Contact the Division of Environmental Quality at 720-865-5452 if you notice any of the following unusual conditions in our lakes and streams:
- A change in color of the water
- An unusual or foul odor
- Suds when there is no precipitation occurring
- any unusual-looking substance discharging from a storm outlet
- Illegal dumping activity
- Unusual discharges from construction sites or industrial sites
- Large number of dead or dying fish or crayfish
Visit our Hazardous Waste Page to learn how to dispose of the following materials:
- Paint
- Cleaning fluids
- Lawn chemicals
- Electronics
- Automobile fluids
- Batteries
- Florescent Light Bulbs
- Expired Medications
Oil Disposal Map
Did You Know?
- Rain and snow runoff flows through storm sewers to our rivers, lakes and streams.
- Along the way, the storm water collects debris, dirt, chemicals and other pollutants.
- This type of pollution is the leading form of water pollution in the country.
Things you can do around the house...
- Don't overuse fertilizers and pesticides. Follow manufacturer's recommendations, sweep up any excess and try not to fertilize when the weather forecast calls for rain.
- Don't place yard clippings and landscaping materials in streets and gutters. Also don't sweep leaves into streets and storm drains.
- Don't place dirt or mulch for landscaping projects in the street. Cover stockpiled materials when not is use.
- Litter Plastic bags, bottles, cigarette butts and other litter washed into waterbodies can injure ducks, fish, birds and other wildlife.
- Pet Waste Pet waste left on the ground contains harmful bacteria and excess nutrients that wash into storm drains and the into waterways where they increase public health risk for water users. Order free pet waste bags now.
- Dispose of Properly Always collect your trash and bag your pet waste before disposing of it in appropriate containers.
- Don't wash your car at home. Prevent harmful detergents and contaminants from washing down storm sewers by using a commercial car wash.
- Don't dump auto fluids into the gutter. Use designated drop-off or recycling locations for disposal of auto fluids.
Help Keep Gutters and Streets Clean
Help Keep Denver clean and Green by Remembering to move your vehicle on your street sweeping day. Following are two ways to remember your street sweeping day:
- Trim low-hanging branches on your street so street sweepers can fit under the trees.
- Remove items from the gutter, like big rocks an branches, on street sweeping days.
- Set your trash and recycling bins off the street and on the apron of your driveway or back to the curb as close to the street as possible (not on the sidewalk).
- Denver has 26 street sweepers and 12 dump trucks.
- Denver's street sweepers mist water on the street while rotating brooms sweep debris and dust up into the hopper.
- When the hopper is full, the contents are transferred to a dump truck and taken to the landfill.
- Each street sweeper weighs over 7 tons and a hopper holds an average of 3 cubic yards of debris.
- In one year Denver street sweepers pick up enough dirt to fill Coors Field 8 feet deep!