People go to great lengths to ensure their water is drinkable and clean and that there’s enough of it. However, they rarely consider ways to maintain the water collected nearby in natural ponds and streams. Understanding the difference between conserving and preserving the fresh water in your area will greatly benefit the surrounding living organisms.
Proper Disposal
Society is severely undereducated about the proper way to dispose harmful chemicals and medications. People often flush old medications down the toilet. This essentially poisons water, as it’s difficult or impossible to remove these substances from the water. You might think that because we flush sewage down toilets, anything that will disintegrate in water should be alright to flush. However, sewage water goes through a three-step purification process to become safe water. This reclaimed water can then be used for irrigation, whereas chemically altered water cannot receive the same method of filtration afterward.
Paints and other products containing chemicals are also not suitable for being poured down drainage systems. For many products—paints, stains, chemicals, and unused prescription medicine alike—there are designated drop-off places that ensure they’re appropriately disposed of. Checking in with local companies that provide these services will lead to safer water in your area.
Adjusting Cleaning Products
With harmful chemicals in drains comes the topic of cleaning products. People often mix their scrubbing agents with water and then rinse them down their toilets and drains. However, these products may contain harmful and abrasive chemical compounds, which may not be able to be filtered out of the water system. Consider trying vinegar or some “green” products when you’re cleaning. These more natural astringents are not only safer for your water but also better for your respiratory system and the safety of your family.
Urban Runoff
Urban runoff is the water that runs off the surface of a city, your yard, and your streets into the sewer system. Many people don’t think about the importance of preserving this water, as they don’t ponder where the water leads and often consider it to be “dirty” water. However, some of this water runs directly into our natural water systems. We need to care for urban runoff just as much as for our indoor water.
Properly cleaning up chemicals—such as cleaning up oil in the driveway with an absorbent material such as cat litter—is better than rinsing it off into the yard or street with the hose. There’s a difference between water that contains natural dirt and debris from the road and water that contains harmful manufactured chemicals.
Gaining comprehension of the ways to protect the water in your area helps to preserve and conserve it. By preserving the fresh water in your area, you’re automatically contributing to the amount of clean water we have available to us. These two processes are more connected than you might realize. Implementing safer disposal habits for destructive materials is sure to improve the lives of many living organisms in your city.
