Auto leaks form pollution puddles on your street or driveway and eventually get washed into storm drains. If you find a leak, soak it up with cat litter, sweep it up and throw it in your garbage. In urban areas, most water from rain, snowmelt or from sprinkling your yard flows through storm drains and into a vast network of pipes. These pipes carry water directly from your neighborhood to our local rivers, streams and wetlands. This water becomes polluted when it picks up things like grass clippings, leaves, pesticides, motor oil and pet waste and flushes them into storm drains and eventually into the Mississippi River.
Research shows that the most polluted runoff comes from heavily traveled streets and highways.
As your car leaks, tires and brake linings wear down, all of this gets washed directly to the Mississippi River. Walk, ride your bike and plan your trips to minimize mileage.