August is National Water Quality Month

Water is used every day in a variety of ways: for drinking, recreating, irrigating, transporting, and in industry and manufacturing, to name a few. Just try to imagine what life would be like for your utility customers without easy access to clean water. There would be no drinking fountains to quench their thirst when out on a hot day; no more swimming pools, and no lakes and rivers clean enough for recreational activities; and no more showers at home, or any running water for their businesses.

National Water Quality Month reminds us to take a moment to consider how important our water sources are to humans and all of the other inhabitants of the ecosystem. By thinking about the little things that your customers do on a daily basis that could have a negative impact on water quality, and getting them to change their habits, you’ll be a step closer to improving water quality—for everyone.

August is designated as National Water Quality Month by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), but how is the quality of water in the United States determined? Water quality is based on a set of standards and criteria that describe the desired conditions or level of protection, or how the required conditions will be established in waters of the U.S. in the future. These standards and criteria are provisions of the state, territorial, authorized tribal, or federal law approved by EPA.

The Standards of Water Quality

Water quality standards must include the following items: S Designated uses of the water body. This requires states, territories, and authorized tribes to specify the goals and objectives about how each water body will be used, including fishing, recreating, drinking, agricultural irrigation, industrial uses, and navigation. S Criteria for protection of designated uses.

States, territories, and authorized tribes must adopt criteria that protect the designated uses. These criteria can be numeric or narrative and most entities typically adopt both types. S Antidegradation requirements. These provide the framework of water quality protection by maintaining the current uses

of the water and protecting the quality that has already been achieved. S General policies for implementation. Based on EPA approval, states, territories, and authorized tribes are allowed to adopt policies and provisions for implementation of water quality standards.

Water quality standards are developed by states, territories, and authorized tribes using federal guidelines of the Clean Water Act (CWA). Each of these entities adopts its own legal and administrative procedures for the adoption of standards. Generally, they use the following steps: S Work groups or informal public meetings are held to develop the standards. The proposed standards are then publicized for public comment. S Public hearings are scheduled to gather input from the public. S Water quality criteria must be included to provide sufficient coverage and be stringent enough to protect the designated uses.

Continued on page 6

Continued from page 4 The water quality standards for each entity must be approved by EPA prior to implementation. If the standards are approved, they become applicable. After approval, entities must do a review of their standards at least once every three years. If all or part of an entity’s standards are not approved based on the requirement in the CWA, then EPA will outline necessary changes to meet the requirements.

The History of National Water Quality Month

The United Nations declared 2005-2015 as the International Decade for Action “Water for Life” in order to emphasize the importance of water quality as it relates to sanitation, human rights, geography, urbanization, and sustainability.

Emphasizing how interlinked water systems are, the Audubon Society points to the dangers of runoff from agriculture, forestry, construction, and people’s personal yards:

“Each individual household or business may not produce enough pollution to force a beach closing or cause a fish kill, but the combined output of all the homes and businesses in a community can be severe, considering that about half of the U.S. population lives within 50 miles of a coastline where runoff flows quickly to the ocean. This is why watershed protection, with attention not only to the body of water, but the area that drains into it, is important.”

National Water Quality Month reminds us to take a long, hard look at what households, businesses, and communities are doing to protect sources of fresh water, which is important to everyone in myriad ways. Research done by the American Chemical Society, for instance, demonstrates that showering leads to greater exposure to toxic chemicals in tap water than drinking the water does. A person can absorb up to eight glasses of water through the skin during a quick 10-minute shower. Due to this fact, it’s imperative that all of the water that enters homes and businesses is safe and free from contaminants.

What can your utility recommend that individuals, families, and businesses do to prevent water pollution from entering their homes, stores, and offices, especially during National Water Quality Month? Here’s a short list of things that can be done to help: S Not using antibacterial soaps or cleaning products. Regular soap and water will do the trick. Much of the antibacterial soaps contain a registered pesticide that is known to harm marine life. S Not flushing unwanted or out-of-date medications down the toilet or drain. S Not putting anything but water down storm drains because they carry water to local waterways. S Fixing leaks that drop from cars, vans, and trucks and putting liners in driveways and garages to collect oil and other materials. S Avoid using pesticides or chemical fertilizers. S Choose nontoxic cleaning products when possible. S Pick up after pets. S Not paving properties. S Have a private well tested and cleaned regularly. There can be bacteria build up in wells. S Encourage customers to read local water quality reports so that they know what the water quality is in their area.

Another option for your customers could be for them to gather a group of family, friends, coworkers, or neighbors and volunteer to clean a local water source. They could bring a picnic and hold a contest to see who can clean up the most trash and debris, offering a prize to the winning team. It’s a great way to get everyone in a community together and enjoy an outdoor day full of fun and doing something that’s good for the environment.

Together we can all make a large impact. Spread the word to your customers, the media, and the public, that all of August is National Water Quality Month! S