Let’s say you like the beach -
In 2009, advisories and closures were issued to the tune of 665 California beach-mile days. (CA State Water Resources Control Board)
Let’s say you like to canoe or kayak in freshwater lakes -
In a 2007 survey of California lakes and reservoirs, only 15% were considered “clean.”
(CA State Water Resources Control Board)
Let’s say you like to fish?
96% of fish in the US contain one or more pesticides at detectable levels. (USFWS)
Now, get acquainted with these seven water contaminants and you’ll know how to do your part in improving surface water quality.
Pharmaceuticals
My mates and I are a motley mix of antibiotics, antidepressants and other prescription meds. When you flush us down the toilet, we release hormones and chemicals into the water cycle. While our risk to humans is still unknown, we’re a nasty bunch of pollutants that have already been linked to gender and sensory alterations in fish.
Be part of the solution! Don’t flush us down the toilet or sink! If your community hazardous waste collection program does not accept unused medication, mix us with coffee grounds or kitty litter and place the mix into a sealed container. This container can go in the trash.
Petroleum
Broken oil wells aren’t the only way I can infiltrate your waters. For a less dramatic route, I simply join heavy metals, chemicals and other hydrocarbons in run-off from industrial sites and even residential driveways. Once I make it to the ocean, I can coat animal fur and feathers, disrupt the food chain and forever alter shorelines, shallow reefs, estuaries and wetlands.
Be part of the solution! Limit my ocean access by washing your car at a commercial car wash. They use more than 50% less water than the average at-home wash and are required to pre-treat their water before sending it on to a municipal facility.
Pesticides
As a pesticide, I was intentionally designed to kill. Unintentionally, my application can result in run-off, drift and spills that allow me to slowly penetrate surface water or drain directly to your oceans. Since I’m non-discriminatory in my job, I can single-handedly disrupt major ecosystems, threatening biodiversity and, yes, human health.
Be part of the solution! DO NOT use me on your lawn or garden. Use integrated pest management practices like crop rotation and companion planting and release beneficial insects instead of chemicals to keep unwanted critters away.
Avoid pesticide use and you’ll reduce your overall water footprint, too.
Heavy Metals
Lead, mercury, arsenic and cadmium - historically, us four heavy metals have been linked to human and aquatic health risks including developmental problems, cancer and nervous system damage. We invade your waterways primarily through industrial, municipal and urban runoff - the number one source of water quality impairments to estuaries.
Be part of the solution! You can keep us in check by taking efforts to reduce runoff from your home. Two strategies? Create a rain garden or design a mini-bioswale.
Fertilizers
Let’s talk phosphates and nitrate. As synthetic fertilizers, we contain lots of both! Through runoff from agricultural and residential home sites, we bring excessive Phosphorus and Nitrogen into both inland and coastal waters. The result? Growth! Explosive growth of algae! Sometimes called algal bloom, this growth reduces the oxygen in water, usually resulting in fish kills. At high concentrations, our nitrate converts into a very toxic substance called nitrite in the digestive systems of human infants and livestock.
Be part of the solution! DO NOT use us on your lawn or garden. Apply organic fertilizers such as compost and worm castings instead.
Pathogens
Bacteria! Viruses! Protozoa! We can all enter and degrade the health of your waterways through untreated sewage, storm drains, septic tanks, runoff from farms and direct dumping. Don’t underestimate us, though microscopic, we can cause serious illnesses from typhoid and dysentery to minor respiratory and skin disease.
Be part of the solution! To keep us out of the water you drink, purchase a water filter for your tap.
Remember, 1 out of 6 people across the globe do not have access to safe freshwater.
Cosmetics
Yes, I leave you looking and smelling great. To make it happen, most personal products like myself contain phosphates, sulfates and other ingredients that end up in water bodies if you don’t dispose of me properly. My ingredients can cause algae build up, which leaves your water looking and smelling funky, kills aquatic life and makes water unsuitable for recreational activities. This makes us all look bad.
Be part of the solution! Don’t flush me down the toilet or rinse me down the sink! Use biodegradable, sulfate and phosphate-free detergents and personal products.
Another loo-related way to be part of the solution? Click here.
Surfrider Foundation’s State of the Beach
Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch
The Ecology Center Programs