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Protect Your Drinking Water for Life
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 People
who travel abroad know the familiar problem with unsafe
drinking water. At home, we scarcely give it a thought.
Usually, we are right. But the sources of our drinking
water are constantly under siege from naturally occurring
events and human activities that can pollute our sources
of drinking water.
Did
you know?
- In the United States, water utilities treat nearly
34 billion gallons of water every day
- In the United States and Canada, the total miles
of water pipeline and aqueducts equal approximately
one million miles; enough to circle the globe 40 times
- Americans drink more than one billion glasses of
tap water per day
- Children in the first six months of life consume
seven times as much water per pound as the average
American adult.
Safe drinking water relies on all
of us. Do your part to get to know it and protect it
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| Be
Informed! |
- Read the annual Consumer Confidence
Report provided by your public water system,
sometimes referred to as a Water Quality
Report .
- Use information from your state's Source
Water Assessment to learn about potential
threats to your water source.
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Be
Informed with the Links! |
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Has your state identified all shallow
disposal wells?
- Does your state have a total maximum
daily loads for those contaminants that
may pose risks to drinking water?
- Find out whether Clean Water Act water
quality standards for your drinking water
source are intended to protect water for
drinking, in addition to fishing and swimming.
- If you are one of the 15 percent of
Americans who have their own sources of
drinking water, such as wells, cisterns,
and springs, you are responsible for protecting
your water supply. Find out what activities
are taking place in your watershed that
may impact your drinking water; talk with
local experts, test your water periodically,
maintain your well, close it properly.
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| Be
Observant! |
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Be
Observant with the Links! |
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- Look around your watershed and be alert
to announcements in the local media for
activities that may pollute your source
water.
- If you see any suspicious activities
in or around your water supply, please
notify the local authorities or call 9-1-1
immediately and report the incident.
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| Be
Involved! |
- Attend public hearings on new construction,
storm water permitting, and town planning.
- Keep your public officials accountable.
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Be
More Involved with the
Links! |
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Ask to see their environmental impact
statement.
- Ask questions on any issue that may
impact your water source. What specific
plans have been made to prevent the contamination
of your water source? Notices about hearings
often appear in the newspaper or in government
office buildings.
- Participate with your state, or tribal
and water system at they make funding
decisions.
- Volunteer or help recruit volunteers:
participate in your community's contaminant
monitoring activities, and encourage testing
water upstream of your drinking water
supply.
- Help ensure that local utilities that
protect your water have adequate resources
to do their job.
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| Don't
Contaminate! |
- Reduce paved areas: Use permeable
surfaces that allow rain to soak in, not
run off, like wood, brick and gravel for
decks, patios and walkways.
- Reduce or eliminate pesticide application:
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Help
Prevent Contamination! |
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Test your soil before applying chemicals,
and design your lawn and garden with hardy
plants that require little or no watering,
fertilizers or pesticides.
- Reduce the amount of trash you create:
Reuse containers, recycle plastics, aluminum,
and glass.
- Recycle used oil: A single quart
of motor oil can contaminate up to 2 million
gallons of drinking water; take used oil
or antifreeze to a service station or
recycling center.
- Take the bus instead of your car
one day a week: On average, you will
prevent 33 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions
per day. Be careful what you put into
your septic system: Harmful chemicals
may end up in your drinking water.
- Keep pollutants away from boat marinas
and the waterways: Keep boat motors
well-tuned to prevent fuel and lubricant
leaks; select nontoxic cleaning products
and use a drop cloth, and clean and maintain
boats away from the water.
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is
a program by the Groundwater
Foundation that supports,
recognizes, and connects
communities protecting
groundwater.