Here's What You Can Do to Celebrate National Water Quality Month

By Maria Bohan

One of the most beautiful features of the Sisters of Saint Dominic of Blauvelt New York’s Motherhouse grounds is its large pond and fountain.

The water creates a tranquil atmosphere and is home to fish, birds, and even groundhogs (who live on the pond’s banks).

Water plays an important role in life as we know it, not only because all creatures need it to survive, but because it gives us opportunities for recreation and to enjoy the beauty of our planet.

Unfortunately, human activities pollute many of our nation’s waterways.

August is National Water Quality Month and throughout the month, we can all make an effort to stop bad habits that negatively impact water quality.

Here are some tips for limiting water pollution, courtesy of drinktap.org.

• Always sweep your driveway to keep it clean, rather than hosing it off.
• Use a commercial car wash — cleaning your car at home flushes dangerous chemicals down the storm drain and directly into our lakes and streams.
• Pick up after your dog.
• Dispose of used motor oil properly - one quart of motor oil can contaminate more than 250,000 gallons of water.

To learn the rest of these important water-pollution-reducing tips, view this article on our website here.