August is National Water Quality Month

Dear Constituents:  It is August, and the summer is beginning to wind down. As the days have been muggy and hot, I hope that everyone has been keeping cool and staying hydrated.   The uninterrupted availability of clean drinking water has caused us to take our valuable resource for granted, and we often fail to realize how regular human activities impact our water quality. Therefore, August has been designated as National Water Quality month.The ways in which we tend to our lawns and gardens, construct and maintain our homes, and dispose of our trash and solid wastes significantly impacts on our water quality. As water plays a vital role in everyone's daily functions, it is imperative that we maintain the cleanliness and purity of our drinking water. National Water Quality month is a time for all of us to reflect on our personal usage habits and on how we can contribute to improving them.Here are some water saving tips from Earth Gauge:Don’t over-water your lawn. Over-watering can increase the flow of fertilizers deep into soils and eventually groundwater supplies, which are an important drinking water source.  Walk on your lawn to find out if it is thirsty – if your footprints remain, it is time to water.Shorten showers. Shortening your shower by two minutes each day can save five gallons of water – that’s 35 gallons in a week.Use rain barrels. Rain barrels are a great way to catch rain water off running off of your roof. You can use the water collected to water plants or wash windows and cars. For more information, and tips on keeping your drinking water safe, please visit the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s website: www.epa.gov/OW/index.html