News & Updates
Don’t give the Earth a blue Christmas
December 17, 2013When you’re preparing for the holidays this year, don’t get yourself on the naughty list. With careful planning, you can give gifts that keep on giving — not just to the recipient, but to the environment as well. Let’s start with your holiday cards. Choose greetings made from recycled stock that are printed with vegetable-based…
Preparing for the worst: A disaster plan can save lives
November 27, 2013The weather outside appears to be getting more frightful every year. Tornadoes, severe thunderstorms, unexpected snow, sleet and hail events all seem to be the new normal. And that means it’s more important than ever to have a disaster plan in place. One crucial part of that plan is having enough food and water to…
A cold fact about hot water
November 6, 2013With winter weather right around the corner, we thought you’d like this quirky water fact: In many cases, hot water will freeze faster than cold water. Yes, you read that right. There’s even a name for it: The Mpemba effect. The moniker comes from a Tanzanian student, Erasto Mpemba, who, while in a cooking class…
10 Things You Might Not Have Known About Water
October 29, 20131.) Water is known as the Universal Solvent because it is capable of dissolving more substances than any other liquid — including acids. Over time, water will dissolve almost everything, including: stone, metals, other liquids, gases, plant material, salts, minerals and more. 2.) Pure water, which is practically impossible to find in nature, does…
National Drug Take-Back Set for Saturday
October 22, 2013Dispose of your unwanted and unused medication safely this Saturday, Oct. 26. It’s the National Prescription Drug Take-Back Initiative. Leaving unused pharmaceuticals in the medicine cabinet creates a public health and safety concern because these drugs are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse, and abuse. According to the 2012 National Survey on Drug Use and Health,…
Put those remaining herbs on ice
October 14, 2013If you planted any herbs this season, they’re not going to last much longer as the days get shorter and the nights longer and colder. To get the most out of what’s left, you’ll want to store them so you can enjoy them all winter long. The traditional method is to dry them out. This,…
Clean Water Pioneer Ruth Patrick dies at 105
September 27, 2013The environment lost a great friend this month. Ruth Patrick, a botanist and limnologist who essentially changed the way scientists study water by taking the focus off the water’s chemistry and placing it on its biodiversity, died on Sept. 23 at 105. Patrick created a system to appraise the health of a body of water…
Don’t send problems down the drain
September 24, 2013The next time you pick up a package of “flushable” personal wipes, think twice: they’re not as flushable as their manufacturers imply. Truth be told, they’re clogging up wastewater treatment plants across the country — including those operated by Lehigh County Authority. A story from the Sept. 7th edition of The Washington Post illustrates just…
‘Water Supply’ signs denote LCA’s watershed areas
September 19, 2013You’ve probably seen “Drinking Water Supply Area, Spill Response Call 911” or “Water Supply Area” signs throughout the Lehigh Valley area and beyond. In fact, LCA recently teamed up with the Wildlands Conservancy, Lehigh County Conservation District, Upper Milford Township, Lower Macungie Township, Allentown and Emmaus to install signs throughout Lehigh County. The signs designate…
One woman’s inspiring quest for clean water
September 11, 2013For most of us, access to clean water is something we don’t need to think about. Turn on the tap, and out it flows. It’s something we take for granted until there’s a power failure or water main break. In many places around the world, though, people aren’t so lucky. Drought, infrastructure problems and a…