August is National Water Quality Month

Did you know that August is National Water Quality Month? It makes a lot of sense to draw attention to the importance of having clean water during a month when people are enjoying rivers, lakes, and oceans across the country. 

“Water is the driving force of all nature.” Leonardo da Vinci

Many of us are guilty of taking our clean, fresh water for granted.  It is easy to do.  We turn on the tap to fill our glass.  We turn on the hose to water our flowers.  Very few of us can ever remember a time when water was considered a scarcity. But it can happen and it may happen sooner than we expect if we are not careful.  National Water Quality Month was created to help remind people of the importance of protecting our water supplies.

“Water has become a highly precious resource. There are some places where a barrel of water costs more than a barrel of oil.” Lloyd Axworthy, Foreign Minister of Canada

Did you know:

• That less than 1% of all water on Earth is usable by humans.
• If the world’s water fit into a bucket, only one teaspoonful would be drinkable.
• The average North American uses 400 liters of water every day whereas the average person in the developing world uses 10 liters of water every day for their drinking, washing and cooking.
• Every year globally more people die from unsafe water than from all forms of violence, including war.
• Only 1% of Canada’s fresh water is renewable.

 Tips For Celebrating National Water Quality Month:

• Reduce runoff by using barrels or creating rain gardens.
• Turn downspouts of rain gutters into planted areas instead of toward paved surfaces such as driveways.
• Make sure sprinklers are not watering the streets and driveways.
• If you must use a fertilizer, choose one that contains at least 30% slow-release nitrogen. High nitrogen fertilizers on a plant that does not need it is a waste of money and will eventually be washed away by storm water.
• Shorten your shower by a minute or two and you’ll save up to 550 liters per month.
• Turn off the water while you shave your legs and shampoo and save up to 1700 liters a month.
• Put food coloring in your toilet tank. If it seeps into the toilet bowl without flushing, you have a leak. Fix it and save up to 3700 liters a month. Use water efficient toilets.

“When the well is dry, we know the worth of water.”  Benjamin Franklin

Our water use has increased, and in many places the availability of water is falling to crisis levels. More than eighty countries, with 40% of the world’s population are already facing water shortages.  It is in our own best interest, as well as the future of our children, that we do our very best to ensure the quality and quantity of our fresh water.

“All the water that will ever be is, right now.”  National Geographic