Believe or not about 90 percent of theinsects in your lawn and garden are notharmful. Many insect species actuallyprey on garden pests and by using toomany pesticides, these beneficial insectsare also killed. Rather than using pesticides, which also contribute to water pollution, try using the following predators for your garden pest problems:Ladybugs: Particularly good at controlling aphid populations, theycan also be used for problems with whiteflies, spider mites, mealy bugs andother soft-bodied insects.Green lacewings: While also thenatural predator of aphids and whiteflies, green lacewings additionallyfeast on small worms and insect eggs.Decolate snails and toads: Boththese species prey on pest gardensnails and slugs which eat our gardenplants.Furthermore, be careful not to over-fertilize your garden. Fertilizerscontain large amounts of nitrogen whichhelp encourage plant growth, but alsoprovide food for whiteflies, aphids, rosedisease and powdery mildew. As a coastal community,Oceanside relies on cleanwater for its residents,healthy beaches, publicsafety and a desirable environment for wildlife. When it rains, many of the pollutants thatlurk on our streets, sidewalks, parking lotsand gutters wash down the storm drains,and into the nearest body of water. In Oceanside, our four major bodies of waterare the Pacific Ocean, Buena Vista Creek,Loma Alta Creek and the San Luis ReyRiver. Unfortunately, storm drains do not filterwater or debris, nor are theyconnected to the sewer system, so any pollutant thatflows into the storm drainends up in our ocean.Storm water pollutants come from many different sources, such as leaking cars, petwaste, chemicals, building material, yardwaste, soil erosion and litter. The goodnews is that storm water pollution is preventable. As Oceanside residents, we simply need to work togetherand change a few habits tobenefit our health, our familiesand our community. Remember, every bit of pollution hurts. Chemicals: Fertilizers and pesticides fromhome lawns and gardens often runinto storm drains during irriga-tion or rain storms. These chemi-cals are harmful to humans andwildlife when they pollute creek,river and ocean water. Yard Clippings: Lawn and garden clippings,when washed down a stormdrain, not only clog the drainbut decompose in our waterbodies, taking away oxygen from fish and otherwildlife.Sediments: Soil from home gardens that is washed down stormdrains harms aquatic wildlife. Toomuch sediment in water can prevent fish from breathing byclogging their gills and make it difficult for some wildlife to findplaces with deep enough water tolay their eggs.Overwatering: Excessive watering of lawnsand gardens can lead to increased runoff carrying chemical pollutants to stormdrains and, ultimately, to our local water bodies. These chemical pollutants: herbicides, pesticides, fertilizers and oils from the street contaminatethe water and increase public and environmental health risks.

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