Few things are more important than keeping our drinking water safe from pollutants.  In fact, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, ‘clean water is the single most important building block of ecosystems.’  What’s more? The EPA states that clean groundwater is our most valuable natural resource.

Clean groundwater is so fundamental to life that without it, life as we know it simply would not exist.  At Penneco Environmental, we’re strong advocates for keeping our drinking water safe. It is, after all, what we do; We dispose of wastewater produced during oil and gas production so that our fresh water sources and environment stay safe.  

And with last week being National Groundwater Awareness Week, we wanted to pass along easy ways you can help keep our drinking water safe, too.

Easy Ways You Can Help Keep Our Drinking Water Safe

1. Get Rid of Household Chemicals Properly

Before you throw out that mostly empty can of oven cleaner or rinse your paint brushes out in the sink, remember that the product will typically end up in our groundwater.  Because a lot of daily household items are harmful to plants, fish, animals, and us, it’s important to prevent them from getting into our water sources. Always check a product’s label to find out how to properly dispose of them.

2. Get Your Car Serviced When Recommended

The fluids that keep our vehicles operating well are very harmful to our environment, our water, or life on earth. Follow your vehicle’s recommended maintenance schedule to reduce the chance of your auto leaking oil, antifreeze, or any other liquid. When these fluids leak from your car, they seep into the ground and are carried by rainwater into the sources of our drinking water.

3. Don’t Flush Expired or Unwanted Medicine Down the Drain

Most prescription and over-the-counter medications adversely affect fish and other aquatic life – even at very low amounts.  So never dump unused meds down the sink or flush them down the toilet. Instead, check with your local pharmacy, waste disposal company, or police department to find out where and how you can get rid of old medicine.

4. Never Dump Anything Into Storm Drains

Did you know that the water that flows into storm drains isn’t carried to a water treatment facility?  Unlike the drains in your house, storm drains flow directly into the streams, rivers, lakes, and other bodies of water surrounding your community.  That means that anything that’s dumped into them also goes straight into your local water sources. So do your part to keep our drinking water safe by not dumping anything down them.

What are some ways you can think of to keep our drinking water safe?

Let us know in the comments below.