August is National Water Quality Month!

Are you aware that August is Water Quality Month?

August is the time of year when many people are enjoying the last bits of summer recreational activities involving water. But these bodies of water are threatened by increasing water pollution. The Clean Water Act was passed in 1972 but most people are unaware of the little ways they can pollute their water. Water sustains all life and entire ecosystems depend on it for their survival.

Water Quality Month reminds us to take a long, hard look at what your household and community are doing to protect sources of fresh water.

The average person uses approximately 80 gallons of water or more per day. The water we use includes bathing, cleaning, household waste, and drinking water.

Protecting our water resources and educating ourselves about water quality is an important goal of National Water Quality Month.

What is water pollution?

It’s the contamination of water, which means water that has got unnatural substances, liquids or objects dumped into it. The main causes of water pollution is littering and harmful gases.

These harmful gases and emissions get mixed up in the natural cycle process. The pollutants get swept up along with other natural gases and start to form clouds. Of course, these clouds then end up raining over us and falling into water bodies such as rivers.

Types of Water Pollution:

• Marine dumping
• Accidental oil spills/leaks
• Sewer Water
• Mining
• Landfill Leakage
• Global Warming

Unfortunately due to the damage we, as humans have done to cause polluted water, there is not a quick solution of water pollution. There are however, steps we can take towards figuring out water pollution solutions.

In the meantime we should be doing everything we can to prevent polluted water from getting worse. That means trying to keep our carbon footprint down, not littering and disposing of waste properly.

How can we help?

• Conserve water by turning off the tap when running water is not necessary. This helps prevent water shortages and reduces the amount of contaminated water that needs treatment.
• Be careful about what you throw down your sink or toilet. Don’t throw paints, oils or other forms of litter down the drain.
• Use environmentally friendly household products, such as washing powder, household cleaning agents & toiletries.
• Take great care not to overuse pesticides and fertilisers. This will prevent runoffs of the material into nearby water sources.
• By having more plants in your garden you are preventing fertiliser, pesticides and contaminated water from running off into nearby water sources.
• Don’t throw litter into rivers, lakes or oceans. Help clean up any litter you see on beaches or in rivers and lakes, make sure it is safe to collect the litter and put it in a nearby dustbin.

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