Tag: pollution
Skip the Straw — Today, and Every Day
February 23, 2023Can you guess the item that routinely makes the “Top Ten” most-collected items list during the Ocean Conservancy’s yearly International Coastal Cleanup? If you had breakfast, lunch or dinner at a restaurant today, you probably saw or used one: the plastic straw/stirrer. And over the last 35 years, costal cleanup volunteers have collected nearly 14…
It’s Time To Imagine a Day Without Water
October 20, 2022Can you imagine waking up one morning and finding that there’s no water at the tap? For many Americans, that’s a reality they wake up to every day. A 2019 study by the US Water Alliance and DigDeep found at least two million people who lack access to adequate sanitation and drinking water — primarily…
Join Us For Source Water Protection Week
September 26, 2022Join us as we celebrate the American Water Works Association’s second Source Water Protection Week! The best way to ensure that we all have access to safe, high-quality drinking water at the tap is to “protect the source.” That means keeping our rivers, lakes and underground wells free from pollution — and it requires a concerted,…
Join Us In Celebrating Water Quality Month
August 25, 2022August is National Water Quality Month — a time to remember that it takes much more than just turning on a tap to ensure access to clean, high-quality water. Did you know that when you include drinking, cleaning, bathing, and toilets, the average American uses about 82 gallons of water a day? And all that…
Properly Dispose of Unused Medications During National Prescription Drug Takeback Day
October 19, 2021Do you have unused or unneeded medications in your home? If you’re considering flushing them down the toilet, please DON’T! Instead, dispose of them safely, at no charge, during the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)’s 20th National Prescription Drug Takeback Day on Saturday, Oct. 23 at sites across the greater Lehigh Valley. A nationwide total…
Why Does Wastewater Need to be Treated?
May 1, 2019Above, untreated wastewater pollutes a waterway in India. If you’ve been following along, you’ll know we’ve been doing a series of posts explaining how wastewater is treated. In our last one, we talked about how solids are removed from wastewater, then sent to the primary settling tanks for stabilization and treatment. What we haven’t covered…
Algae: Green menace or green solution?
November 8, 2017For all that we’ve written here about algae — like the fish-killing, toxic effect algal blooms have on Lake Erie and other waterways, and the role that nutrient pollution has on accelerating its growth — you’d think we absolutely detest the tiny organisms. But like everything in nature, algae has a purpose, and researchers have…
How are you celebrating Water Quality Month?
August 19, 2017August is National Water Quality Month, a time to celebrate — and appreciate — the role that clean, drinkable water plays in our lives. We’ve compiled a list of 9 things that you can do show your appreciation for, and commitment to, clean water. But don’t just do them this month: Every month should be…
Clean waterways are healthy waterways
July 23, 2017We’re blessed with an abundance of waterways in the Lehigh Valley — ponds, lakes, rivers and streams all give us ample opportunity for swimming, boating, and fishing. Anglers are especially lucky, as the region boasts a number of high-quality trout streams. There are steps we can all take in order to keep these waterways healthy,…
10 ways to ditch plastics
February 22, 2017Back in January, we wrote about the flood of plastic trash that’s polluting our waterways. We’re going to revisit that post again today, add some more details, and include a few more suggestions about what you can do to reduce your use of plastic. Plastic is, literally, everywhere. We use plastic utensils, plates, cups and…