Our local waterways are so important. We love to recreate in and around them. We rely on them for our drinking water. They are critical for aquatic and terrestrial life. For these reasons and many more, we all can do our part to help protect our local waterways.
As a civil engineer, I have a direct and measurable impact on water quality through design and construction of infrastructure. I strive to protect and enhance the water quality in local waterways with my projects. Yet everyone can have an impact on water quality—here are six very simple things that everyone can do.
- Properly dispose of medications. If you have unused medicine (prescription or over-the-counter drugs), do not flush these materials down the toilet or pour down the drain—they can end up in groundwater or surface waters. For homes connected to public sewer, the wastewater ends up in wastewater treatment plants and can pass through the treatment processes and end up in the local waterways, which may be used as a drinking water source. You can help protect water quality by properly disposing of prescription and over-the-counter drugs. Many communities have specific waste drop off locations for these materials. Pharmacies and hospitals may also provide these collection and disposal services. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) holds a National Prescription Drug Take Back Day twice a year in April and September.
- Reduce use of lawn and garden chemicals. These chemicals can soak into the ground, finding their way into groundwater, and can also run off into the street and into our local waterways. It is best to limit or avoid use of these materials. If needed, make sure to follow the label for best application to minimize the exposure. Consider planting native landscaping to reduce the need for these chemicals—this can often reduce the need for irrigation, thus reducing water consumption as well.
- Properly store and dispose of harmful household materials. Make sure to keep harmful household materials such as paint, oil, and other chemicals covered or inside to prevent them from getting mixed with rainwater. Dispose of used materials properly. Do not flush these materials down toilets, pour down drains, or pour onto the ground or into storm drains. Your waste collection provider can provide guidance on how to properly dispose of these materials through their collection system or provide information on special locations for disposal.
- Keep your vehicle in good working condition and wash your vehicles at a commercial facility. Vehicles that are not properly maintained can leak oil and other chemicals on the ground, which can be picked up by rainwater and carried to our local waterways. Keeping your vehicle in good working condition will help reduce potential leaks. In addition, when you wash a vehicle, you’re washing off detergents, degreasers, oils, suspended solids, heavy metals, and organics, which can be harmful to waterways. Commercial vehicle washing facilities have proper disposal systems to remove these harmful materials. Water-saving bonus: The average car wash typically uses less water than doing it yourself. Many newer conveyor car washes and some newer in-bay washes clean and recycle water in their car wash bays. Those that recycle their water use less water than standard car washes. The quantity of water recycled varies from 10 percent to 80 percent of the water used.
- Pick up waste. This includes both trash and pet waste, and you guessed it, again properly dispose of these materials so that they don’t end up in our waterways.
- Volunteer to help raise awareness. You can join a cleanup activity and other outreach activities, or just generally share your knowledge with others. Awareness and education goes a long way.
Water quality may feel like a such a big issue that it can be difficult to know where to begin or how to help. Following these tips can help our communities continue to enjoy all that our healthy waterways have to offer for generations to come.
