Three Other Ways to Keep the Water Clean

Using environmentally friendly cleaners to launder your clothes is one way you can help keep our water supply unpolluted. Here are some other suggestions:

Avoid excessive use of lawn fertilizers

Americans tend to like velvety-looking, dark green grass. In pursuit of that goal they annually apply millions of pounds of fertilizer to their lawns – far more than is needed. Wind and rain sweep the excess nutrients into streams and lakes.

Most commercial fertilizers contain a combination of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. Both nitrogen and phosphorus harm bodies of water. Phosphorus contributes to algae bloom and eutrophocation; nitrogen deprives the water of oxygen and results in fish kills.

Before applying any fertilizer, have your soil tested to see what it actually needs. Garden stores and county extension agents perform soil analyses and tell you what you should apply, how much, and when. Apply only the amount indicated. It may well be that you will not need to buy chemical fertilizers. Nonchemical fertilizers include manure, bonemeal, and compost.

Purchase unbleached paper products

Whenever you have a choice, buy unbleached, undyed goods such as paper napkins, towels, and coffee filters. Paper mills contribute significantly to river pollution when use chlorine to bleach paper pulp. The manufacturing process generates dioxin, a highly toxic contaminant, and other chlorinated hydrocarbons. The fewer bleached and dyed products that are manufactured and disposed of, the fewer pollutant will end up in the water supply.

Dispose of hazardous waste properly

Remember that anything you pour on the ground, into a storm sewer, into your sink, or down the toilet will eventually end up in the water supply. Remember, too, that many communities dump their raw, untreated sewage directly into rivers, lakes, and oceans. Use as dew hazardous products as possible, and when you need to dispose of unused portions, take them to a collection site.