The vulnerability of freshwater — the underdog of finite natural resources — is often overlooked, especially in water-rich areas like Massachusetts.
Freshwater is essential to all life and its importance cannot be understated.
Earth's oceans contain 97 percent of all the water on Earth, and it's not naturally suitable for human uses (drinking, bathing in, and food production). Of the 3 percent that is suitable for human use (i.e., freshwater), 2 percent is locked in ice caps, glaciers, and deep in the Earth.
While the water cycle naturally delivers freshwater to us, there are many draws on the 1 percent of freshwater all nations on Earth share. According to researchers of the American Museum of Natural History's "Water: H2O = Life" project, globally 8 percent is used for domestic and municipal use, 22 percent for industry, and 70 percent for agriculture.
As populations grow, we draw more out of the ground and surface waters than may be replenished naturally. Over time, we not only reduce our freshwater supply but we compromise it with pollutants.
We see evidence locally of both of these factors when water bans are imposed and land that is tainted with munitions residue, industrial constituents, and fuel spills are discovered and restricted for human use.
To reduce waste of our publicly-funded drinking water supplies and minimize pollution impacts try the following Green Quick Fixes:
Minimize dishwasher use and opt for handwashing dishes. This will lower both your water and energy bills.
Use a dish bucket or part of a double sink to soak and scrub dishes.
Turn off the faucet when brushing teeth and rinsing scrubbed dishes. You could be wasting about a gallon per minute!
Set laundry washing machines to the appropriate load size. However, it's best to wash larger loads less frequently. (Re: By using cold water, you'll reduce your energy bill.)
Tighten all plumbing where there are slow leaks. According to the United States Geological Survey Web site, if slow leaks lose one gallon of water in 10 minutes, homeowners pay for 144 gallons per day, or 52,560 gallons per year. USGS claims that most American toilets have a constant leak of 22 gallons per day!
Install flow control devices on faucets and shower heads and procure low-flow toilets when upgrading.
Water outdoor plants at dusk or early in the morning only. You use much more when watering lawns and gardens at midday.
Plant as much as possible with native plants that are easily satiated by rainfall. Also, native plants attract the kind of bugs that consume mosquitoes, midges, and other biting pests.
Do not dispose of pesticides, herbicides, and lawn-care products that contain aldrin, chlordane, DDT, heptachlor, silvex, and others into the sewer system via drains in your home. Contact the Massachusetts State Pesticide Bureau at 617-727-3020 before using or disposing of such products.
Try collecting the water in the shower you are not using when you are waiting for it to heat up. Let it sit in a bucket, and when it gets to room temperature, water your house plants with it.
Drink the highly-scrutinized and tested tap water (filter if you have old household pipes that change the taste of the water) instead of buying spring water, which is not tested by government entities.
Buy a BPA-free or HDPE plastic reusable water bottle (single-use plastic, like PET #3, leaches toxins you should not be drinking) and use it all the time — such as at music festivals, shopping, or commuting. Consider that it takes three liters of water to make a one-liter single-use water bottle and that the total energy needed to produce, distribute, and dispose of one bottle of water is equivalent to filling the same bottle one-quarter full of oil, according to AMNH's "Water: H2O = Life" study.
Maintain your home's sewer laterals or septic system and review periodically for leaks. Leaks allow chemicals and bacteria generated from our homes to enter groundwater. The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Water Web page (www.mass.gov/dep/water/index.htm) can help answer many questions.
When cleaning and draining swimming pools, be certain chlorinated water goes into the sanitary sewer — NEVER the storm sewer. Every year improper swimming pool water disposal is responsible for fish kills in local streams. Check with your local health department or Massachusetts DEP if the sanitary sewer cannot be accessed.
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Andrea Fox, a Beverly resident, has been writing about environmental sustainability and eco-topics for eight years. She is a member of the Society of Environmental Journalists and a watershed protection advocate in Salem Sound Watershed.
