What You Can Do

Do Not Blow Grass Clippings Into Streets/Storm Drains

It is illegal to blow grass clippings into City of Melbourne streets and storm drains, gutters, ponds or water bodies.

Instead blow them back into your yard.

Keep grass clippings and yard debris out of curbs, the roadway, and away from inlets/stormdrains.  

Report Violations

If you see anyone blowing grass clippings or yard debris into the roadway, give us a call at (321) 608-7341. We’d be happy to educate them about the City’s ordinance.

Penalties

Penalties include a fine of $200 for violating this ordinance.

Prevent pollution from roof runoff:

• Direct your downspouts into grassy areas versus a paved surface. This prevents the roof water runoff from going into the storm drains.

• Install a rain barrel Rain barrels capture and store rainwater running off your rooftop. The harvested rainwater can be used immediately or stored for later use to water your lawn, landscaped areas or potted plants. The harvested rainwater can also be used to fill ponds or fountains, or wash sidewalks or tools.
  • Interested in learning more? Attend a rain barrel workshop offered periodically by the Engineering Department. Information is available by calling (321) 608-7300.
  • If you are a residential water customer residing within the city limits of the City of Melbourne you may be eligible to participate in the City's rain barrel rebate program. Qualifying customers are eligible to receive one $50 rebate for installing a new 40-gallon or larger rain barrel. Information is available by visiting the rain barrel rebate page or calling (321) 608-5080.

Do Not Use Fertilizer June 1 – September 30

It is against the law to apply fertilizer to your lawn in the City of Melbourne from June 1 through September 30. This regulation was enacted in order to keep harmful nutrients found in fertilizer from washing off from lawns into storm drains and ultimately into the Indian River during the rainy summer months.

Additional Restrictions

• A ban on the use of fertilizer within 15 feet of any surface waters, including, ponds, streams, watercourses, lakes, canals, or wetlands (the previous fertilizer-free zone was 10 feet).

• The percentage of slow release nitrogen content in any fertilizer used must be at least 50%.

• Only phosphate-free fertilizer may be used (with certain exceptions).

• A low-maintenance zone of 25 feet adjacent to surface waters must be planted and managed in order to minimize the need for fertilization, watering and mowing.

Have your soil tested by the Brevard County Extension Office to find out what type of nutrients your yard needs and the proper amount to be applied. Visit the Brevard County Extension Office website or call 321-633-1702. Always use fertilizer according to packaging directions.  

Report Violations

If you witness a commercial lawn service using fertilizer during the ban, give us a call at 321-608-7341. We’d be happy to educate them about the City’s ordinance.

Penalties

Penalties include a fine of $200 for violating this ordinance.

Native Landscaping

Select native plants and grasses for your landscape. These require less water and are drought resistant. More information is available from the Florida Native Plant Society. Also, group plantings together according to their water and sunlight needs. This allows for a more efficient landscape, in turn saving you time and money!  

Weed Killers and Pesticides

Pulling weeds is better for the environment, but if you choose to use pesticides, use them sparingly and according to packaging directions.  

Irrigate Responsibly

Abide by the St. Johns River Water Management District watering restrictions. Over-watering will only carry yard pollutants into the stormdrains and eventually into the river. Turn off your irrigation system if the forecast calls for rain.

Car Washing

• Drive your car onto your lawn before washing. This prevents the dirty soapy water from going into the stormdrains.
  
  
• Use a commercial car wash station that recycles its water to trap dirt, oils, greases and auto fluids, and other pollutants and keep them out of the Indian River Lagoon.

Car Maintenance

• Regularly check vehicles and lawn equipment for leaks. This prevents oil, grease or other chemicals from going into the stormdrains.

• Recycle used oil and other automotive fluids at participating service stations or bring them to Brevard County household hazardous waste collection center.

• NEVER dump chemicals into the street, inlet or stormdrain!

• Recycle or properly dispose of household products that contain chemicals, such as insecticides, pesticides, paint, solvents, and used motor oil and other auto fluids. Don’t pour them onto the ground or into storm drains.
  
  
• More information is available on Brevard County's household hazardous waste webpage.
  
  

• Before beginning an outdoor project, locate the nearest storm drains. Protect them from debris and other materials.

• Sweep up and properly dispose of construction debris, such as concrete and mortar.

• Use only the smallest amounts possible of hazardous substances like paints, solvents, and cleaners, and follow the directions on the label. Clean up spills immediately and dispose of the waste safely. Store substances properly to avoid leaks and spills. Store chemicals indoors or cover the containers to prevent rainwater from washing leaks or spills into storm drains.

• Purchase and use nontoxic, biodegradable, recycled and recyclable products whenever possible.

• Clean paint brushes in a sink, not outdoors. Filter and reuse paint thinner when using oil-based paints. Properly dispose of excess paints through Brevard County's household hazardous waste collection center.

• Reduce the amount of paved area and increase the amount of vegetated area in your yard. Use native plants in your landscaping to reduce the need for watering during dry periods. Consider directing downspouts away from paved surfaces onto lawns and other measures to increase infiltration and reduce polluted runoff.

Always Clean Up Dog Waste

When it comes to dog waste, the best management practice is to remove it and trash it.

Dog waste is NOT fertilizer. Traditionally, canines have a diet primarily composed of meat. As digestion breaks down this protein-rich food, phosphorus and nitrogen are released making dog waste highly concentrated with these elements.

Additionally, modern dog food manufacturers remove oxygen and add nitrogen to increase the shelf life of dog kibble. The added nitrogen is also excreted. Lastly, due to the abundance of nitrogen excreted from a canine’s high protein diet, dog stool has a slow decomposition rate of about 9 weeks. As the matter sits on the grass, rain or irrigation water will likely pulverize the pile. As the pile’s size decreases, it becomes easier for the particles to bind to the soil particles and get swept up and washed away into drains, ditches, or canals. These conveyance systems carry the phosphorus and nitrogen-rich material to our waterways, such as the Indian River Lagoon and the St. Johns River. Upon entry into the lagoon, river or other waterway, the phosphorus and nitrogen feed the naturally occurring algae. These nutrients can then launch an algal bloom much like fertilizer can.

Algal blooms are a particularly problematic because algae:

• blocks sunlight from reaching sea grass, which suppresses oxygen production by photosynthesis.
• consumes oxygen from the water as it decays.
• initiates fish kills due to low levels of oxygen from reduced photosynthetic activity, and consumption of oxygen as the algae decays.

Compost Chicken Waste Before Using as Fertilizer

Since a chicken’s diet is seed-based, and its quantity of waste is relative to its size, the make-up and quantity of chicken dung makes it an excellent manure for flower beds and gardens after it has spent some time in a pathogen-killing composter. Once composted, chicken waste from a 4-hen flock is not foul to our waterways. (City Code limits residents to 4 hens.)

Best Management Practices for Horses

Horses are large herbivores that consume about 15-30 pounds of plants a day. The excrement generated from eating all those plants is rich in phosphorus and nitrogen. Therefore, proper management of horse manure is critical for maintaining clean waterways. Spreading manure throughout pastures is acceptable as long as the amount of manure produced does not exceed the nutrient requirement of the pasture. When it does, stock piling or composting is needed. Both should be enclosed and/or covered to protect against runoff. Stock piles should be relocated to the landfill regularly or recycled at an appropriate facility.

Most people would never think of dumping cigarette butts, gum wrappers, or other trash into the Indian River Lagoon, but when these items end up in the curb or in the roadway, that’s exactly where they go.

Put your cigarette butts and trash in garbage bins or other appropriate containers. Recycle whenever possible.

Litter along the Indian River Lagoon shoreline. Photo courtesy of Keep Brevard Beautiful.

Drain your swimming pool or spa only when a test kit does not detect chlorine levels.

• Inspect your system every 3 years and pump your tank as necessary (every 3 to 5 years).

• Flush responsibly! Don't dispose of household hazardous waste, paper towels, kitty litter, diapers, or other sanitary items (other than toilet paper) down the sink or toilet.

• Care for the septic system drainfield by not driving or parking vehicles on it. Plant only grass over and near the drainfield to avoid damage from tree roots.

• Don’t flush expired or unwanted medications down the sink or toilet. You can safely dispose of medications at a prescription drop off box at your local pharmacy. 

Stormwater Hotline:

• 321-608-7341 (call or text)
  

• swu@mlbfl.org

Call or text the Stormwater Hotline to Report:

• Illegal Dumping

• Trash and Debris in the Curb or Roadway

• Grass Clippings in the Curb or Roadway

• Foul Smells

• Spills

• Unusual Colors

• Cloudiness

There are opportunities throughout the year to get involved in the effort to help protect the Indian River Lagoon.

Storm Drain Marking 

Help remind residents that anything that goes into a storm drain can end up in the Indian River Lagoon. The City of Melbourne is working with volunteers to place markers that say "Dump No Waste — Drains To Lagoon" on every storm drain in the city. To volunteer to help with this effort, please call or text 321-608-7341.

Clean-up Events

The City of Melbourne's Environmental Community Outreach Division hosts two major litter clean-up events each year and also recruits volunteer teams for the city's Adopt-a-Road program. Please call 321-608-5080 to learn more.