This is a two way street - most odes need clean water to survive, so if we want to protect them, we have to keep our water clean. On the other side, odes are a good indicator of the quality of the water, and we all want to save clean streams and lakes for our enjoyment and our kids.
There are a bunch of things we can do to protect our water. I'm not going to try to list everything here, but we'll give you a few links to explore if you want to learn more about water quality and watershed preservation. But at bare minimum, do you really need to fertilize your lawn? And if it really is necessary, could you please use environmentally friendly fertilizer in minimum quantities?
A good starting point to learn more is the NJ DEP's water management website. This site provides information on NJ watersheds and actions that may be taken. Enjoy your visit there, but please, come back soon.