We live here, and all have a part to play in the health of our stream and the surrounding countryside, whether it's maintaining our septic tanks so that they don't pollute, or reducing the harmful chemicals that we put down our sinks, washing machines, dishwashers and toilets.

Individually, we can do small things which don't make a huge difference to us personally but collectively help our immediate environment - it may be swapping out cleaners for more environmentally-friendly ones that do the same job, or just reducing the amount we actually put in the first place - it all helps.

Ensure that your septic system is emptied and maintained by a specialist company and keep your system in good condition.

Do not block your system up with fat (fat and cooking oils should be put in jars and disposed of in your refuse bins), food waste, nappies, cat litter or wet wipes (even flushable ones) - if you have a pump it only takes one wet wipe to clog the impeller and cause an expensive replacement.

disinfectants, antibacterial products, pesticides, bleach and caustic soda will kill the good bacteria in your septic system - look for alternatives (eg. use normal soap bars instead of antibacterial liquid soap). Phosphates are found in cleaning products - There are some very good washing products which are much less harmful - for example
Check out the Ethical Superstore for a whole range of products at https://www.ethicalsuperstore.com/category/cleaning-and-household/

Dispose of paint, chemicals etc at the Council recycling site - do not put them down your drain. A handy link at the County Council on what you can dispose of and where locally is here: https://www.hants.gov.uk/wasteandrecycling/whattodowithwaste

Do not put too much water down your drain all at once - washing machine, dishwasher, baths all emptying at the same time) as this can overwhelm the system and not give it time to separate the solids out. Do not drain rain water from your roofs directly in your system