Actions Around Your Home

How can you take action around your home to protect water resources?

Household trash and pollution
Use water wisely
Recycle

If your home is right next to a stream or pond, you can probably connect what you throw away with what ends up in the water. Even if you live farther from the river, your actions around the house affect how much clean water we all enjoy. Here are some personal actions that are kinder to our waters.

Keep Household Trash and Pollution out of the Water

Many common household chemicals, from paint to detergent to furniture polish, can harm water-loving animals if they reach rivers, streams, or lakes. Here's how to keep that from happening.
Buy only what you need. This way, you won't have to dispose of a nearly full gallon of cleaning substances that you discovered doesn't really do the job you intended.
Buy biodegradable or phosphate-free products.
Try natural alternatives to caustic chemicals. This will not only protect the water but will protect you and whoever uses the products around the house. For more information, you may view a chart of natural alternatives.
Follow manufacturer's directions.
Dispose of excess household products as directed by the local sanitation or water company, such as taking to a special collection station. This includes paint, car oil, leftover pesticides and other household chemicals. Do not pout them down the household drain or storm drains.

Use Water Wisely

If your area gets plenty of rain, why should you worry about how much water we use? Every gallon of water that comes into our homes requires treatment before and after its trip through the system. Pre-treatment may involve adding chemicals such as chlorine; treatment afterward may add other chemicals and does not remove all traces of contamination from those waters before they flow again into our rivers and streams. So, every gallon saved is a gallon than can remain untreated, available as cleaner water for people to enjoy in its more natural state.

Here are some easy ways to cut down on water waste (which will also cut down on your water bill). Every gallon saved also saves in electric pumping and treatment costs for the utility providing your water, which keeps everyone's water bill lower.

Fix drippy or leaking plumbing promptly. One drip can waste hundreds of gallons of water a week. A "running" toilet often wastes about 250 gallons a day!
Check toilets for hidden leaks. If food coloring placed in the tank leaks into the bowl within about 15 minutes, you have a leak to fix.
When replacing plumbing fixtures, install low-flow showers and toilets. Such devices are much more efficient and effective than just a few years ago. A low-flow shower head cuts bathroom water use by 30-50 percent!
Run water appliances, such as the dishwasher and washing machine, only when full (or when set for load size).
When washing your car, avoid constantly running the hose. Use a bucket and sponge, then rinse using a hose with a shut-off nozzle.

Follow the recommendations from the American Water Works Association and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Recycle

Recycling has certainly become a popular environmental activity, but does it really help rivers, streams, and lakes? Well, indirectly, yes. Reuse of a material generally requires less water than to create the material from a raw resource. You may not recycle to protect the water supply, but when you do recycle, that action is helping the environment in many ways - and water is one of them!

REPORT PROBLEMS AND POLLUTION

Find out who to contact for reporting dumping, spills, and fish kills!

If You Are On A Private Well

If you depend upon private water for drinking or other household uses, you may need to take responsibility for assuring the safety of that water. Wells and other private water sources require periodic testing to ensure that the water is safe for humans and animals. You can find out more about this process by reviewing water testing guides published by various agencies.

Express Your Opinion

If you are concerned about a particular issue related to a river, stream, or lake, your involvement may make the difference in the future of that water. Here are some ideas about how to become involved:

Write letters to newspapers
Attend, and even speak out at public meetings
Contact your elected officials

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