Five things you can do to protect local water quality

Five Things You Can Do To Protect Local Water Quality

Water covers most of the Earth – so much so that the greatest ocean depths have not been fully explored.

It’s easy to take it for granted in the U.S. You turn on a tap, and out pours clear, clean healthy water. That’s in large part thanks to municipal treatment systems and clean, deep well water. But clean water is increasingly scarce across much of the world, and some even opine that many wars of the future will be fought over this resource so vital to life. Clean water is also needed in many manufacturing processes, too, so it’s an economic as well as environmental and conservation concern.

That’s why National Water Quality Month is observed every year in the U.S.

Want to maintain a supply of clean water for you and your grandchildren’s children? It can start in your backyard.

  1. Scoop the poop. When Fido drops a load, don’t view it as fertilizer. View it as a threat to the water supply, and dispose of it as you would other low-level hazardous waste. Otherwise the animal waste or its nastier components will find their way into the closest waterway or storm drain.
  2. Control runoff. All that water pouring down your driveway after a downpour is carrying with it automotive fluids and heavy metals from minute brake shavings and the like. When it hits the streets, its chemical and metal contents increase in volume along with all the other neighborhood effluent. Consider a rain barrel to capture the water, or even install water-loving flora for a rain garden to filter the filth.
  3. Don’t litter. Styrofoam cups, plastics and other trash breaks down into molecular compounds most scientists don’t even fully understand. Their effect on the composition of water and effects on wildlife and insects – many of which do their own part to keep our water clear – is not fully known, but definitely deleterious.
  4. Enjoy natural waterways. Go swimming, fishing or paddling in a local river or lake and appreciate the beauty and tranquility of being on the water. If you enjoy water as a recreational resource, it’ll only reinforces the overall value of its contribution to life on our wonderful water planet.
  5. Avoid waste. Make sure your pipes are in good working order and aren’t leaking. Tend quickly to leaky faucets. The cumulative loss of water over time can be staggering.

Southern Trust Home Services experts can ensure your pipes are intact, your water is clean and your filtration systems are properly in place.

Our Roanoke Valley plumbing services means we rely on water for a living, so we care about the resource, too.

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