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About SPU
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Management
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SPU & the Environment
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Salmon Friendly Seattle
What Can You Do?
It will take many small actions to make salmon runs healthy and sustainable again. We need your help. We've put together some salmon friendly practices for you to try, as well as Resources with more information.
Conserve Water
We can take less water from our rivers and lakes and leave more for fish by cutting back on our use of this valuable resource. Here's how:
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Staff from Seattle Public Utilities help citizens dispose of old water wasting toilets.
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- • Shorten your shower time by a minute.
- • Flush the toilet one less time a day.
- • Fix appliances and fixtures leaking water, and replace old, inefficient models with more efficient ones.
- • Call City water conservation experts for more tips at (206) 684-SAVE.
- • Visit the Saving Water Partnership.
Prevent Water Pollution
Chemicals and pollution in our rivers and lakes can interfere with the sense of smell that salmon use to find their way back to the place where they were hatched so they can spawn their young. Here are some tips to help reduce pollution in our waterways:
- • Wash your car at a car wash instead of at home, and choose one that uses recycled water.
- • Use non-toxic or less toxic cleaners in your house.
- • After scooping your pets’ poop, bury it or dispose of it in trash containers.
- • Visit Seattle Public Utilities’ Keep Water Safe & Clean website.
Grow a Salmon-Friendly Garden
Salmon friendly gardens are beautiful, healthy and easy to maintain. They work with natural processes to grow plants with minimal irrigation, fertilizer and pesticides. These gardens keep pollutants out of streams and lakes, where they can harm salmon habitat. They also save time and money. Here are some tips for growing a salmon friendly garden:
- • Plant native or drought-tolerant plants.
- • Use a mulch mower and fertilize your lawn without chemicals.
- • Water deeply once a week during the early evening hours when water evaporates less.
- • Pull weeds by hand or tolerate them instead of using pesticides and herbicides.
- • Visit Seattle Public Utilities’ Salmon Friendly Gardening website.
Join Other Citizens in Restoring Shoreline Habitats
Many Seattle residents have joined volunteer efforts to restore shoreline areas along our waterways. For more information about getting involved, contact the following programs:
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