Easy Things You Can Do To Protect Drinking Water Sources | US EPA (2024)

FAQs

Easy Things You Can Do To Protect Drinking Water Sources | US EPA? ›

Participating in local environmental groups, or starting one in your neighborhood. Adopt a River to help clean up a local stream, river, lake, or wetland. Adopt a Storm Drain to keep leaves and debris out of our waterbodies. Establishing a local Source Water Protection Collaborative.

Participating in local environmental groups, or starting one in your neighborhood. Adopt a River to help clean up a local stream, river, lake, or wetland. Adopt a Storm Drain to keep leaves and debris out of our waterbodies. Establishing a local Source Water Protection Collaborative.

Keep hazardous chemicals like paint, fertilizer, pesticides, gasoline, and motor oil away from your well. Check your well each month for visible signs of cracking or corrosion. Keep the area around your well clean and free of debris.

EPA has established regulations with treatment requirements for public water systems that prevent waterborne pathogens such as viruses from contaminating drinking water. These treatment requirements include filtration and disinfectants such as chlorine that remove or kill pathogens before they reach the tap.

EPA sets legal limits on over 90 contaminants in drinking water. The legal limit for a contaminant reflects the level that protects human health and that water systems can achieve using the best available technology. EPA rules also set water-testing schedules and methods that water systems must follow.

Reusing, recycling or reclaiming water preserves our water resources – our drinking water supplies. The less we use now, the more we will have available in the future. Think of it as a savings account. We all know that savings are beneficial and essential for our future well being.

Boil water, if you do not have bottled water. Boiling is sufficient to kill pathogenic bacteria, viruses and protozoa (WHO, 2015). If water is cloudy, let it settle and filter it through a clean cloth, paperboiling water towel, or coffee filter. Bring water to a rolling boil for at least one minute.

Groundwater management, recycling, and water conservation are examples of water supply strategies that could lead to sustainable water supplies.

What are 5 actions we can do to improve water quality? ›

Generally, both groundwater and surface water can provide safe drinking water, as long as the sources are not polluted and the water is sufficiently treated. Groundwater is preferable over surface water for a number of reasons.

Don't let your water consumption run out of control. Save 6 litres of water a minute by turning off your tap while you brush your teeth. Fix leaky taps too – and stop what could be 60 litres of water going straight down the drain every week. Every minute you spend in a power shower uses up to 17 litres of water .

Conserve water every day. Take shorter showers, fix leaks & turn off the water when not in use. Don't pour toxic household chemicals down the drain; take them to a hazardous waste center. Use hardy plants that require little or no watering, fertilizers or pesticides in your yard.