Ants-How can I control ants?

Grease-How should I dispose of fats, oils, and grease?

Hazardous Waste-How do I get rid of hazardous wastes?

Mercury Thermometers (Broken & Unbroken)-What should I do with it?

Pharmaceutical Waste: Disposing of unwanted medications

Paint-What is the best way to clean paint brushes, rollers, pans?

Paint-What do I do with unwanted paint? Is it recycled?

Pools and Spas-Where or how can I dispose of pool water?

Toilet Retrofit Program-What is the program about? How do I get a rebate?

Tours-How do I get a tour of the Napa Sanitation District Water Recycling Facility?

Water Pollution-How does Napa Sanitation District Prevent Water Pollution?

Water Pollution-How Does Water Get Polluted?

Water Use-What are some ways to reduce water use around the home?

Ants-How can I control ants?
Prevention is the first line of defense. Store food in containers that seal tightly or in the refrigerator. Keep things clean and dry (ants need food and water). Here are a few less toxic controls: Caulk cracks where ants are entering the house. Locate the scouts and kill them. Use ant baits instead of sprays. Be sure to use the baits inside. When the ants are gone; usually in a couple of days, remove the bait so you don’t attract more ants. Use several different baits because some ants change their food preferences frequently. Be patient. For more information for controlling ants and other pests, ask us for a free copy of The Healthy Home and Garden or look on the Web at http://www.ourwaterourworld.org/index.cfm.
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Grease-How should I dispose of fats, oils, and grease?
Do not pour oil or dispose of fats and grease (FOG) down the drain. FOG is one of the primary causes of residential pipeline and sewer main clogs resulting in sewer spills and overflows. The spilled sewage reaches our creeks, the river, bays, and eventually the ocean. All cooking oil should be poured into a non-recyclable container such as an old milk carton or frozen juice container, and mixed in cat litter or sawdust until it is pasty. The mixture can then be disposed of in the outside garbage receptacle.

Wipe off greasy leftovers from dishes and pots before washing or placing in dishwashers. All Fats, Oils, and grease should be put in a plastic bag before disposing of them. One other thing! When grease and egg shells combine they create a mixture similar to concrete; oil sticks to the pipe at the waterline. Both of these conditions can clog the sewer line. Instead, put the egg shells in your grease container, or directly in your garbage receptacle.
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Hazardous Waste-How do I get rid of hazardous wastes?
Do not dispose any hazardous wastes in the sewer (sinks, toilets, drains), storm drain (street gutter), garbage receptacle, yard waste receptacle, or in the solid waste recycling receptacle. Take it to the Napa-Vallejo Household Hazardous Waste Collection Facility for proper disposal/recycling.

According to California law, it is legal to transport up to five (5) gallons of liquid or 50 pounds of solid hazardous waste without having a special license. After you carefully pack your car, go directly to the disposal facility. Drive carefully.
Deliver your household hazardous wastes to the Permanent Collection Facility located at 889A Devlin Road, American Canyon. The facility is open the 2nd and 4th Fridays and Saturdays (9 a.m. to 3 p.m.). For more information and a complete list of recycling facilities in our area, call 1-800-984-9661.
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Mercury Thermometers (Broken & Unbroken)-What should I do with it?
People are most commonly exposed to mercury by way of broken fever thermometers. A typical old-fashioned thermometer contains about a half gram of mercury. Oral thermometers are often used and stored in the bathroom, and when they break, the mercury is frequently washed down the drain. Because mercury can contaminate the air, soil and water when they are crushed in landfills, old-fashioned thermometers should not be thrown in the trash as well. To reduce the risk of hazardous waste contamination, the Napa Sanitation District will replace their old thermometer with a new digital one that doesn’t contain mercury. Residents are encouraged to drop off mercury-containing thermometers at the Napa-Vallejo Household Hazardous Waste Collection Facility located at 889A Devlin Road, American Canyon, CA.

The digital thermometers can be picked up from the Napa Sanitation District located at 935 Hartle Court, Napa, CA 94558. For more information, contact the Pollution Prevention & Source Control Department at (707) 258-6000 at extension 502.
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Pharmaceutical Waste: How to dispose of unwanted medications?
Expired or unwanted prescription or over-the-counter medications from households have traditionally been disposed of by flushing them down the toilet or a drain. Although this method of disposal prevents immediate accidental ingestion, it can cause pollution in wastewater, which has been demonstrated to cause adverse effects to fish and other aquatic wildlife. When the water is eventually reused, it can also cause unintentional human exposure to chemicals in medications.

Your unwanted medications may be disposed of in your trash. Follow these precautions to prevent accidental or intentional ingestion:

• Keep the medication in its original container. The labels may contain safety information and the caps are typically childproof. Leaving the content information clearly visible, scratch the patient's name out or cover it over with permanent marker.
• Modify the contents to discourage consumption.
• Solid medications: add a small amount of water to pills or capsules to at least partially dissolve them.
• Liquid medications: add enough table salt, flour, charcoal, or nontoxic powdered spice, such as turmeric or mustard to make a pungent, unsightly mixture that discourages anyone from eating it.
• Blister packs: wrap packages containing pills in multiple layers of opaque tape like duct tape.
• Seal and conceal. Tape the medication container lid shut with packing or duct tape and put it inside a non-transparent bag or container such as an empty yogurt or margarine tub to ensure that the contents cannot be seen.
• Discard the container in your garbage receptacle—do not place in the recycling bin. Do not conceal medicines in food products because they could be inadvertently consumed by wildlife scavengers.

Managing other types of pharmaceutical waste:

Unused ampoules, vials, and IV bags should not be opened (other than to scratch out the patient's name). Wrap the container with tape to minimize breakage, and then place in an opaque plastic container (such as an empty yogurt or margarine tub). Wrap the outside of the container or bag with additional duct or shipping tape to prevent leakage and further obscure the contents. Dispose of the container in the trash.
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Paint-What is the best way to clean paint brushes, rollers, pans?
Never discharge any of these wastes to the storm drain system. Cleanup for water-based (Latex) paint: Brushes and rollers need only be cleaned when a job is complete rather than every day. During a job, painting equipment can be stored in plastic wrap in a cool place so that brushes and rollers remain pliable. They can actually be stored for days without the paint drying of the brushes and rollers. When cleaning up, brush or roll the excess paint onto something that you plan to throw away such as a piece of wood or board. The painted board can then be disposed of in the receptacle as garbage. The remaining small amount of LATEX paint from brushes, rollers, buckets, and tools should be cleaned off in a sink that is connected to the sanitary sewer system.
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Paint-What do I do with unwanted paint? Is it recycled?
Take unwanted Latex paint and all oil-based paint can be taken to the Napa-Vallejo Household Hazardous Waste Collection Facility at no cost to local citizens located at 889A Devlin Road, American Canyon, CA. For more information call 1-800-984-9661. The paint is mixed and recycled.
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Pools and Spas-Where or how can I dispose of pool water?
The preferred method is to discharge pool, spa, or fountain water onto the land surface provided the water is dechlorinated/debrominated, the pH is between 6.5 and 8.5,  AND the land area is sufficient to prevent runoff into a ditch, creek, or other storm water conveyance.

If landscaping is not a viable option, the next best choice is to discharge pool, spa, or fountain water to the sanitary sewer system. Contact the Napa Sanitation District to make sure the discharge will not create a problem in the sewer system or wastewater treatment plant downstream of your property.

All local jurisdictions in Napa County have adopted ordinances that allow swimming pool, spa, and fountain water to be discharged to storm drains only after all of the following conditions are met:

Note: There are additional requirements for commercial swimming pool facilities under the State’s Health and Safety Code. Contact the Napa County Department of Environmental Management (707-253-4471) if you have questions about commercial swimming pool facilities.
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Toilet Retrofit Program-What is the program about? How do I get a rebate?
Water is our most precious resource. By practicing water-conserving habits you can help conserve hundreds of gallons of water per day! Water we save is water we don't have to buy. So it's important we do everything we can to decrease our water consumption. One solution is the Toilet Retrofit Rebate Program. This is done by replacing your old high water use toilet (3.5 to 7 gallons) with a low water use toilet (1.6 gallons or less) and receive a rebate for $100.00 for each retrofitted fixture. To qualify you must be connected to the Napa Sanitation District System, replace the toilet with a 1.6 gallon or less toilet, be authorized to proceed. Please contact the District prior to retrofitting your toilet and request a copy of the replacement guidelines or click here to download a copy. Contact us at (707) 258-6000 during regular working hours. After hours and weekends call (707) 258-6000 and select option 4 on the telephone. The City of Napa has an alternate program as well. They can be contacted at (707) 227-9495. You can only participate in one of the programs.
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Tours-How do I get a tour of the Napa Sanitation District Water Recycling Facility?
Tours of the Napa Sanitation District Water Recycling Facility are primarily geared for local schools. They are very informative as well as lots of fun. Other organizations and groups are also welcome. Completion of a Public Tour Request Form is requested prior to the NSD Treatment Plant Tour. This form is found on this Website in the Pollution Prevention section.

The most popular tour with local schools is the three-part joint-agency tour. The sites are at the Napa Sanitation District Water Recycling Facility, City of Napa Jameson Canyon Water Treatment Plant and Napa Garbage Service Recycling Facility. A separate tour of the Napa Sanitation District Water Recycling Facility is also available. Contact us to arrange for a tour at the following:

Napa Sanitation District - (707) 258-6000 ext 502
City of Napa Water – (707) 247-9309
City of Napa Water Recycling-(707) 257-9520
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Water Pollution-How does Napa Sanitation District Prevent Water Pollution?
Controlling toxics at their source is the most effective way of keeping pollutants out of the local water environment. Since our treatment plant is not designed to remove chemicals and metals, the goal of our Pollution Prevention and Source Control Program is to monitor the wastewater discharged at various points of our collection (underground pipeline) system and ensure that businesses and industries are complying with discharge requirements. Our Source Control Program began in the mid 1970's in response to the Clean Water Act and continues to improve strategies to reduce pollutants discharged to the sanitary sewer.

Since there are over 25,000 households in Napa, enforcement is very difficult, if not impossible. NSD prefers to take a different approach, with Public Education and Outreach. NSD believes that the more people that understand the hazards of toxic discharges to the sewer, the less likely they are to pollute. NSD has developed educational programs for students, the general public, and businesses with the goal of informing them about how to reduce or even eliminate toxic discharges.
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Water Pollution-How Does Water Get Polluted?
The water you use everyday doesn't go away. Storm water runs off streets and driveways and eventually ends up in creeks, the Napa River and in the bay without any treatment. Wastewater from your house goes down toilets, sinks, and shower drains and makes its way through an extensive collection and treatment process. While the treatment plant effectively removes organic material, it is not designed to remove chemicals and metals. So, when toxic chemicals get dumped or rinsed down household drains, they pass through the system untreated and end up in the creeks, the Napa River, the Bay system, and even the Pacific Ocean where they may threaten sensitive aquatic life.
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Water Use-What are some ways to reduce water use around the home?

• Replace old high-water-use toilets (3.5 gallons per flush or more) with ultra-low-flush toilets (1.6 gallons per flush)
• Use a high-efficiency front-loading clothes washer
• Install low-flow showerheads (2.5 gallons per minute or less)
• Limit shower time
• Reuse towels for drying after showers/baths
• Install water-saving faucet aerators
• Turn off faucets while shaving and brushing teeth
• Run clothes washers and dishwashers only when full, or adjust cycle settings to match loads
• Fix leaking or dripping faucets and running toilets

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