As citizens of our community who care about the condition of the Spokane River, here are a few tips for you to help reduce phosphorous in the river.

• Reduce or discontinue use of pesticides.
• Use phosphate-free dishwashing and laundry detergents.
• Clean up after your pets so that the waste does not run into the river untreated.
• Wash your car on grass rather than pavement so the detergent can be filtered through the grass instead of running directly into the storm water system untreated.
• Cut back on the amount of fertilizer you use on your lawn, and cut only a third of the length of the grass, leaving the cuttings to naturally fertilize. If you must fertilize, use a low phosphate fertilizer.

For ideas about conserving water, visit the City's Water Department website at http://www.spokanewater.org. For other information, visit the City of Spokane's website at http://www.spokanecity.org.