Practical steps residents can take to slow runoff and protect waterways

Theresa Avery focused on property-level actions homeowners can take to slow and clean stormwater before it reaches local streams. "When you are thinking about putting in a new surface on your property, think about if there's a way to make it permeable," she said, and recommended rain barrels, rain gardens, permeable surfaces where appropriate and native plants that increase infiltration.

Avery contrasted runoff in pristine forests (low runoff, high infiltration) with urban areas (high impervious cover and high runoff) to show why site-level changes matter. She also urged simple daily practices—picking up dog waste, minimizing pesticide and herbicide use, using drip irrigation or watering timers and composting leaves—to reduce pollutant loads that reach waterways.