Conservation Choices: Sourcewater Protection

Ginger Davis, Conservation Administrator
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Sourcewater can be a complex system, but in essence it is all the water that contributes to drinking water.  Drinking water comes directly from under the ground, in a lake, or within a stream depending on where you live, but what feeds water to the stream or groundwater can come from a variety of locations.  Water that rains on places like buildings and parking lots, back yards, gas stations, and golf courses can all end up in our drinking water and is the source of the water we drink.  The everyday choices we make will influence the quality of drinking water in a positive or negative way.  This is why it is very important to understand that what you do and put on the ground, parking lot, yard, or building can influence and travel into the water you drink.

Sourcewater protection is the act of understanding and limiting the negative impact from choices and management of the land and structures within our community to decrease the impact to our drinking water. It is important for every single person to make it a priority and take steps to help protect our drinking water.  For most of us there are simple things that can be done to protect the sourcewater, for others that manage large tracks of land or complexes this may take a bit more work. However, the work is worth it to protect our drinking water for your family, friends, community and future generations.

In central Indiana, we may not think too often about not having access to clean drinking water, but the threat is real.  With our ample amount of water in the rain and groundwater, we do not recognize that our water is constantly at risk.  Risks can surface when groundwater is pumped and not allowed to return, or recharge the aquifer, or contamination from pollutants threatens either our streams or water under the ground that make up our water supplies.
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Everything is connected through the water cycle and it is important to remember everyone lives downstream. What you do today can affect local water quality and quantity. In fact, since the quantity of water in any given source can greatly affect the quality of that water, it is important to protect both quality and quantity. In order to ensure a healthy of supply of water now and into the future, there are many actions landowners can take.

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These are some of the things you can do to protect your water:
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Everyone, Everyday
Conserve water. Take steps to conserve water at your business, around your home, and in your yard. This will save you money and help the environment.

Other Practical Ideas for conserving water for at the home, on the farm, or at work:

Water Conservation in the House:

• Turn off the tap while you brush your teeth.
• Plug and fill the sink to wash your face or when you wash the dishes.
• Keep a jug of cold water in the fridge instead of running the tap until the water turns cold.
• Use efficient showerheads, taps and toilets. If you don’t have a low flow toilet, reduce your water use by placing a weighted plastic bottle filled with water in the water tank of your toilet. Low-cost “inserts” for the toilet tank are an alternative to plastic bottles. With a toilet insert, a family of four could save 12,000 gallons of water per year. Toilet inserts are available at most hardware and plumbing supply stores.
• Use a faucet aerator. Faucet aerators, which break the flowing water into fine droplets, are inexpensive and can be easily installed in sinks to reduce water use by as much as 60 percent while still maintaining a strong flow.
• Detect and repair leaks in the pipes, toilets and taps around your home.
• Only use water-dependent appliances, such as washing machines and dishwashers, when they are full and then choose shorter cycles. Better yet, upgrade to water- and energy-efficient models.
• Scrape dishes, instead of rinsing them, before loading the dishwasher.
• Compost organic waste instead of using the garbage disposal. Garbage disposals need running water to operate properly. Treating food waste at the treatment plant or in a septic system is hard on the system reducing the capacity for other wastes.

Water Conservation in the Yard:

• Use a rain barrel to catch water from your eavestrough downspout and use this to water your lawn and garden.
• Detect and repair leaks in hoses and sprinklers outdoors.
• Use a broom to clean your driveway – not your garden hose.
• Plant native groundcover, plants and grasses that are heat and drought resistant, require less water, fertilizers, and care, while being cheaper to maintain.
• If you do have a lawn, keep it well aerated, mow high and water it only in the early morning or late evening and only as much as needed, which is about 1 inch per week.
• Fight soil compaction by increasing the organic mater of your soil to allow water to soak into the soil. Add compost to your soil after aeration to increase the quality of your soil.
• In the case of walkways and patios, consider using interlocking paving stone or porous pavement to minimize runoff and maximize water retention in the soil.
• Be an avid recycler. Recycling paper products, glass, metals and plastics cuts down on pollution and also reduces the amount of water we use. Manufacturing recycled paper uses 58% less water than making paper from virgin wood pulp. Making glass from recycled materials cuts related air pollution 20% and water pollution 50%.
• Dispose of hazardous waste properly. Take unused paints, cleaners, pesticides, and medical prescriptions to Hamilton County household hazardous waste center or pharmaceutical drop-off points. Take used engine oil to recycling facilities. Use drop cloths or tarps when working with hazardous materials such as paints, driveway sealers or wood stain to prevent spills from leaking into the ground. If a spill occurs, clean it up with an absorbent material such as kitty litter or sawdust and scoop the contaminant into a container.
• Use non-toxic products for cleaning and environmentally friendly soaps, shampoos and personal care products. Remember that what you use in your house goes back down your drain.
• Clean up pet waste which contains nutrients and pathogens that can run into storm sewers during a rainstorm.
• Prevent pollutants from entering into runoff by reducing or eliminating the use of pesticides, fertilizers, sidewalk salts and by not over-watering your lawn.
• Take care when refueling gas tanks for cars, lawn mowers, chainsaws, weed trimmers or other machinery to avoid spilling fuel on the ground. Also take care when changing engine oil. One gallon of gas or oil can contaminate a million gallons of groundwater.
• Take your car to commercial car washes designed to prevent pollutant runoff from entering storm sewers. Use commercial car washes that use water efficient sprays, reducing their water consumption.
• Keep your septic system in proper working order and empty the tank regularly.
• Protect and maintain your private well. Wells provide pathways for contaminants to enter the groundwater. If you have a well be sure it is sealed properly and if you own a well you no longer use, have it properly decommissioned by a DNR licensed well driller. Test your well water regularly to ensure the water is safe to drink.
• Stay informed and get involved in your local source protection process.

 
 If you run an Agricultural Operation:

• Prevent pollutants from seeping into the ground or entering into runoff by reducing or eliminating the use of chemicals and fertilizers on your land. If you haven’t already, consider developing and implementing a Nutrient Management Plan and Soil Health Systems.
• Manage animal waste on farms to prevent water contamination. If you operate a farm, contact your Soil and Water Conservation District for information about workshops you can take to assist you in developing a Conservation Farm Plan for your farm business.
• Add soil health considerations to your agricultural land management strategies.  Cover crops, increased carbon, and reduced tillage can help store and protect runoff water.
• Protect the vegetation along the banks of ponds, streams and lakes to help control erosion, provide food for aquatic life, and maintain cooler water temperatures necessary for some species of fish.
• Manage livestock grazing. Overgrazing exposes soil and increases erosion. Keep livestock out of ponds, rivers and streams and other sensitive areas such as wetlands. This not only protects the natural areas around the pasture but keeps your herd productive and happy. For information on local funding programs to assist you with fencing and other projects contact our office or NRCS for programs and assistance.
• Store chemicals in a dry, properly ventilated and secure area. Keep chemicals and pesticides away from surface water, wells and other vulnerable areas.
• Properly install and operate fuel storage tanks to prevent spills.

If you own Land Along or Around Water:

• Maintain a natural shoreline. A buffer zone covered with native plants reduces the contaminants that enter the water.
• Confine water access to 10 percent of your total water frontage.
• Avoid bringing sand from an outside source to create any artificial beach areas.
• Wash your boat on land using non-toxic cleaners.
• Use biodegradable soaps when you wash yourself, your dishes, or your clothes and never wash in a lake, river, or stream.
• Keep boat motors properly maintained or upgrade to a more efficient four-stroke motor, if possible.
• Take care when refueling boats, lawnmowers, or other machinery when you are near or on the water.

At the workplace

• Inform your employees and customers that you make it a priority to protect source water from pollutants. Emphasize the importance of keeping pollutants out of the storm drain, because the drains flow directly to streams and the rivers without benefit of the wastewater treatment that the sanitary sewers receive.
• Prevent water from contacting work areas to reduce contaminated water from entering storm drains or groundwater. Shipping areas, outdoor equipment, material storage areas, vehicle maintenance spaces, and working areas of all sorts are subject to contamination with raw materials, process liquids, grease, oily wastes, Vehicle fluids, heavy metals, and miscellaneous potential pollutants. Keep these areas covered, out of the direct flow, and contain any wash water separate from clean water.
• Every site has clean water areas that are contacted by storm water that is otherwise unpolluted that should be allowed to be discharged to the storm drain. Take special care to Keep pollutants off the surfaces that come into contact with rainwater by controlling minor leaks and spills that may get overlooked, move operations out of the areas where clean water passes.
• Spill Prevention, Control, and Cleanup Making and reviewing your spill plan and updating after a spill will help to plan for unforeseen events. The best approach by far is to prevent spills and leaks: maintain a regular inspection and repair schedule, and correct potential spill situations before a spill can occur.
• Reuse, reduce, and treat pollutant laden water onsite, conduct an internal water audit to determine what water can be re-used in processing, what processes can be removed from the water, and as a last resort, treat polluted water prior to discharging to an approved site. Remember that in the long run prevention is much cheaper than treatment.