Do you know what your drinking? 15 ways to reduce freshwater pollution at home.

Do you know what your drinking? 15 ways to reduce freshwater pollution at home.

When you head to the kitchen to get a glass of water, either from your sink or bottle, do you ever wonder where that water comes from, or if it is clean and safe to drink? For a planet that is mostly water, relatively little of it is fresh water that we can drink. Here are some facts about water on earth:

• 97% of the water on earth is salty, most of which is saltwater in the oceans.

• Only 3% of earth water supply is freshwater found in lakes, rivers, ponds, wetlands, and streams and

• 2% of freshwater is frozen in glaciers or underground where we can’t get to,

• Only about 1% available to us, plants, and animals to drink.

• Groundwater is the water found underground in the cracks and spaces in soil, sand, and rock called aquifers.

• Groundwater supplies drinking water for 51% of the total U.S. population and 99% of the rural population.

• 64% of groundwater is used for irrigation to grow crops and is an important component in many industrial processes.

• In 2002, each U.S. household used an average of 94,000 gallons of water per year! That’s 12,417 water bottles or 1,175 bathtubs of water!

• a 2000 survey published in EPA's National Water Quality Inventory found almost 40% of U.S. rivers and 45% of lakes are polluted.

Freshwater is vulnerable to pollution discharged out of pipes and precipitating out of the air but the primary source of their pollution today is runoff, pollutants washing off the land. Pesticides and fertilizers used in agriculture and on golf courses and suburban lawns account for a major portion of nonpoint source pollution. Runoff from parking lots and roads flush spilled oil and gasoline and road salt into lakes and streams. Runoff containing manure from livestock and poultry producers has been a major source of surface water pollution.

More than 150 pathogens found in livestock manure pose risks to humans. In 2003, concentrated animal feeding operation guidelines, or CAFO standards, were finalized requiring inspection of waste lagoons and outdoor manure tanks, as well as permits for applying manure on the land. Air pollutants such as dioxin and mercury along with sulfur and nitrogen oxides precipitate into lakes and rivers by rainfall in the form of acid rain. More than 95% of rainwater tested at four sites in Indiana between 2001 and 2002 contained unsafe levels of mercury according to a National Wildlife Federation report. Centers for Disease Control data shows that 318 waterborne disease outbreaks associated with groundwater systems occurred between 1971 and 1996. Leaking underground oil tanks and spills at gas stations account for oil and other chemicals such as benzene and methyl-tertiary-butyl ether (MBTE) found in groundwater. More than 400,000 leaking underground storage tanks were reported in the United States in 2001. Pesticides and agricultural fertilizers drain into groundwater polluting it with carcinogenic chemicals and nitrates.

Fertilizer, animal manure, and waste-treatment plant waste all contain nutrients that stimulate excessive plant and algal growth in freshwater bodies. When the plants die and decompose, dissolved oxygen is depleted, causing die-offs of fish and other species living in the water. Human and animal fecal waste contain disease-carrying organisms such as the bacterium Escherichia coli (E. coli) and pathogens that cause cholera, typhoid, and cryptosporidiosis. Cholera is rarely seen in the United States, but E. coli outbreaks are not rare, and in 1993, more than fifty people died, and an estimated 400,000 became ill from a massive outbreak of cryptosporidiosis in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The outbreak was attributed to a failure in drinking water treatment, allowing the cyst form of the parasite, introduced by animal waste, to pass into tap water and be ingested.

Once water is contaminated, it is difficult, expensive, and sometimes impossible to remove pollutants. Technologies to remove contaminants from groundwater are air stripping, granular activated carbon, and advanced oxidation. Preventing pollution is obviously important. Drinking water suppliers have discovered that watershed protection is cost-effective because it reduces pollution and cuts the cost of drinking water treatment. A watershed is an area that drains into surface or groundwater and keeping that area free from development and agricultural runoff are among the goals of watershed protection. The Barnes Aquifer in Massachusetts supplies water to 60,000 residents and the aquifer's recharge area is under heavy development pressure from large-scale residential subdivisions. After learning about watershed protection, citizens voted against proposed changes to zoning that would have increased the number of new homes and increased the potential for groundwater pollution. And by investing $1 billion in watershed protection, New York City, with an enormous reservoir system, has avoided having to build water-filtration facilities, saving $8 billion in construction costs.

What can you do for keeping cleaning our freshwater? There are several things you can do at home. You can prevent water pollution of nearby rivers and lakes as well as groundwater and drinking water by following some simple guidelines in your everyday life. Together we can help reduce the chances of our drinking water to become contaminated and undrinkable.

1. 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.

2. Use environmentally household products, such as washing powder, household cleaning agents, and toiletries.

3. Take great care not to overuse pesticides and fertilizers. This will prevent runoffs of the material into nearby water sources.

4. Don’t throw litter into rivers, lakes, or oceans. Help clean up any litter you see on beaches or in rivers and lakes.

5. DO NOT pour fat from cooking or any other type of fat, oil, or grease down the sink. Keep a “fat jar” under the sink to collect the fat and discard in the solid waste when full.

6. DO NOT dispose of household chemicals or cleaning agents down the sink or toilet.

7. DO NOT flush pills, liquid or powder medications, or drugs down the toilet.

8. Avoid using the toilet as a wastebasket. Most tissues, wrappers, dust cloths, and other paper goods should be properly discarded in the trash.

9. Avoid using a garbage disposal. Keep solid wastes solid. Make a compost pile from vegetable scraps.

10. 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.

11. Run the dishwasher or clothes washer only when you have a full load. This conserves electricity and water.

12. Use the minimum amount of detergent and/or bleach when you are washing clothes or dishes. Use only phosphate-free soaps and detergents.

13. 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 end of the river. Most auto stores or home improvement stores provide safe disposal drop-offs

14. Eat organic foods. Eating organic reduces the amount of chemical pollution that ends up in the water.

15. No matter where you live in the country, there are going to be charities working on watershed protection, water pollution cleanup, and similar causes. Find an organization that’s active in your area and donate every year. Your support may even lead to expanded anti-pollution work.