Water Quality - Action and Documentation

ACTION

Low Cost Strategies

Girls on bank above boatsOnce you have concluded that your drinking water quality is in danger there are a few things you can do to take action:

  1. You can contact Tribal environmental officials or Tribal governing officials who may have authority over farmers, gas stations, or other facilities or individuals whose practices are causing groundwater or surface water contamination.  They may be able to get them to remove the contaminant threats or alter their practices.
  2. If you are served by a water system contact and notify them of what you have found.
  3. You can also seek additional help from the EPA or some of the non profit organizations who have the funding and resources to improve the quality of your community’s water sources.  In addition having conducted an evaluation yourself and being prepared with information about your community may help your chances in receiving funding.
    • See “Resources” for a list of contact information.
  4. Education will be your strongest tool because the most cost effective and long term way to remove contaminants from your drinking water is to change or alter the dangerous practices that are in existence now.
    • You can start by letting community members know the risks and possibly initiate the idea of implementing codes or standards in your community.
    • You can make up handouts or put together some educational materials for community members to take home and implement.
    • You can go directly to the source and give them information about proper uses, maintenance, and management practices they can do themselves to prevent contamination.
    • You can make flyers about non-treatment options to decrease the risk of contamination in the home and post them in your community or go door to door to hand them about. You might find this method of action to be most effective. You can educate community members on the health effects of contamination as well as the very simple things they can do to prevent them, i.e. wash out containers after use.
    • You can also educate members on treatment measures they can take like, filtration, boiling, and chlorine or iodine treatment.
  5. Cleaning up trashYou can encourage voluntary protection measures in your community by:
    • Holding community meetings and inform members what they can do at home and in the community to prevent contamination
    • Organizing a group of volunteers to put signs at water sources advising members against contamination, or do it yourself.
    • Organizing volunteers to contact landowners, facility owners, and private well owners with hazardous practices and educate them on ways to change, or do it yourself.
  6. You can talk to Tribal leaders about the possibilities of designating an area close to a surface water body and managing it for water purposes only (keep all other activities out of the area).  These are sometimes referred to as buffer zones: areas around wells or surface water bodies that will be off limits for activities that could potentially release contaminants to a water source.
  7. Selawik from airYou can also promote conservation: conserving water can prolong the life of a well by reducing the pumping rate, which in turn reduces the rate at which contaminants are attached to the well.  Some water conservation methods include (keep in mind some of these methods might not apply to your community):
    • Run the dishwasher only when its full
    • Turn off the faucet when brushing teeth or shaving
    • Invest in a low-flow showerhead so less water comes out per minute while showering.
    • Adjust the settings on your washing machine if you don’t have a full load; if settings don’t adjust wait until you have a full load to run it.
    • If washing is done by hand don’t leave the water running, fill a laundry tub with water
    • Water the lawn early in the morning rather than at hotter times during the day
    • When washing your car turn the hose off between rinses
    • Sweep sidewalks and driveways instead of hosing them down

Higher Cost Strategies

  1. Close up and properly seal abandoned wells that can be an entry point for contaminants to reach ground water.
    • The basic concept in sealing an abandoned well is restoring the geological conditions that existed before the well was drilled. Therefore, the particular method for sealing a well depends on the type of water well and the local geological features.  However, there are specific codes and standards under your State’s Department of Public Health so contact your Department of Public Health and get more information on licensed water well drillers who can seal the abandoned well.
  2. Encourage safe disposal of hazardous materials or possibly sponsor a community wide event to collect household hazardous wastes: paints, stains, cleaners, solvents, etc. See Recycling Hazardous Wastes.

DOCUMENTATION

Selawik from airMost importantly document your steps as well as your successes and failures!  Let us know what you did differently, what was helpful, and what could use some improvement. If you find more information that might be helpful to other AmeriCorps members visit the “Success Stories” link on AERHO and share your experience or let RurAL CAP staff know so they can share!

 

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