Water pollution occurs when harmful substances, such as chemicals or microorganisms, contaminate a stream, river, lake, ocean, aquifer, or other body of water, degrading water quality and rendering it toxic to humans or the environment. Water pollution is a widespread problem that is jeopardizing our health, and unsafe water kills more people each year than war and all other forms of violence combined. Here are some ways to manage water pollution:
Prevention
- Keep litter and other trash out of creeks, yards, and streets.
- Blow or sweep fertilizer back onto the grass if it gets onto paved areas. Dont put fertilizer on the grass right before it rains. The chemicals will wash into storm drains and waterways.
- Mulch or compost grass or yard waste. Or, leave it in your yard if you can't compost. Don't blow leaves into the street. This clogs and damages storm drains.
- Wash your car or outdoor equipment where it can flow to a gravel or grassy area instead of a street.
- Don't pour your motor oil down the storm drain. Take it to the nearest auto parts store.
- Avoid using the toilet as a wastebasket. Most tissues, wrappers, dust cloths, and other paper goods should be properly discarded in a wastebasket.
- Avoid using a garbage disposal. Keep solid wastes solid. Make a compost pile from vegetable scraps.
- Install a water-efficient toilet. In the meantime, put a brick or 1/2 gal container in the standard toilet tank to reduce water use per flush.
- Run the dishwasher or clothes washer only when you have a full load. This conserves electricity and water.
- Use the minimum amount of detergent and/or bleach when you are washing clothes or dishes. Use only phosphate-free soaps and detergents.
- Minimize the use of pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers. DO NOT dispose of these chemicals, motor oil, or other automotive fluids into the sanitary sewer or storm sewer systems. Both of them end at the river.
- Dispose of toxic chemicals properly. Household solvents, pesticides, and cleaners might not seem that bad, but they can become a serious problem if millions of people dump them down the drain or flush them down the toilet. Proper disposal is important.
- Use just enough cleaners to do the job. Phosphates aren't the only harmful chemicals in cleaners. Phosphates lead to algae blooms and kill fish and other aquatic animals by reducing the oxygen in the water.
- Check your sump pump or cellar drain.
- Plant some trees. Trees reduce erosion.
Treatment
- Wastewater treatment facilities reduce the amount of pollutants such as pathogens, phosphorus, and nitrogen in sewage, as well as heavy metals and toxic chemicals.
Management
- If you observe stormwater pollution, call the Stormwater Helpline or send an email to report it.
- Encourage others to conserve water and reduce pollution.
