August means the arrival of National Water Quality Month – a month dedicated to getting the most out of our limited water supply. Toho Water Authority reminds you that clean water is essential to our health, our agricultural needs, the needs of our planet and should never be taken for granted. You can help preserve and protect our waterways: whether it be by participating in a community cleanup or just picking up after your pet.
Protecting your water from home
We may not realize it, but there are numerous ways we negatively impact our waterways from the comfort of our homes.
One of the ways you may be hurting the environment without knowing is by not picking up after your pets. Waste left by your animals contains nitrogen, which can remove oxygen from water, leaving it uninhabitable for wildlife.
Washing your car at home may also be hurting our environment as the chemicals being used often end up in our waterways. You can avoid this by going to a car wash where the water drains into sewer systems to be treated.
Ways to protect your water at home:
1. Don’t use fertilizer made with phosphorus
2. Fix household leaks
3. Make sure sprinklers are not watering sidewalks/driveways
4. Pick up after your pet
5. Don’t hose down your driveway; use a broom
6. Wash your car at a car wash
7. Do not flush unwanted or expired medication
Protecting our water as a community
As a community, we depend on water for everything from food preparation to fire fighting. It’s very easy to overlook how essential clean water really is. We are all in this together to protect and preserve our water for generations to come. By celebrating Water Quality Month as a community, we can collectively become mindful of how important clean water is.
Ways to protect our water as a community:
1. Organize cleanups
2. Plant trees to prevent erosion and trees keep homes cooler reducing energy costs
3. Monitor water quality
4. Adopt a watershed
5. Report water leaks or sewer spills discovered in the community
Toho also encourages discovering the source of your drinking water. Important information about the source and quality of your drinking water can be found on www.tohowaterqualityreports.com.
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