World Water Monitoring Day serves as a reminder that clean water is a precious resource that requires collective stewardship. While monitoring water quality is essential, it’s equally important to prevent pollution at its source and take proactive steps to protect our water resources. Everyday actions, combined with community-level initiatives and policy advocacy, can significantly contribute to cleaner water and healthier ecosystems.

Everyday Actions: Protecting Water Quality Starts at Home

There are things you do every day that impact your local water quality without you even realizing it. Here’s how you can start making changes today.

• Be Mindful of What Goes Down the Drain. Most of us pour things down the sink or flush them down the toilet without thinking of the consequences. Common household items like bleach, ammonia-based cleaners, paint thinners, and even prescription medications end up in the wastewater system if improperly disposed of. These substances enter wastewater treatment systems that are not always equipped to handle all harmful chemicals, particularly pharmaceuticals and some household cleaners. These chemicals may persist through treatment in some wastewater systems, particularly where advanced chemical filtration technologies are not in place, then could be released into the environment, potentially harming ecosystems
  
  Safely dispose of chemicals at appropriate sites. Many communities have designated drop-off sites for paints, oils, and even unused medications to ensure they don’t end up in local waterways. Look for local recycling programs for oils and chemicals.

• Use Less Fertilizer and Pesticides. Fertilizers, herbicides, and pesticides might make your garden look great, but they come at a cost. When rain washes these chemicals off your lawn, they can seep into groundwater or run off into nearby rivers and lakes, causing algal blooms that choke aquatic ecosystems and kill fish.
  
  While organic fertilizers are often more environmentally friendly, they still contain nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus that can cause water pollution if over-applied or if applied before rain. So, use fertilizers and pesticides judiciously, following recommended application rates and avoiding runoff into waterways.

• Pick Up After Your Pets. Pet waste might seem harmless, but when it’s left on the ground, rainwater can carry bacteria and pathogens from the waste into nearby water sources. This contaminates streams, lakes, and even drinking water sources with E. coli and other harmful bacteria.
  
  Always Pick up after your pets using biodegradable bags and dispose of the waste in the trash, not down storm drains, to prevent both bacterial contamination and plastic waste.

• Choose Eco-Friendly Personal Care Products. Many everyday personal care products contain phosphates, parabens, and synthetic microbeads that enter wastewater systems and eventually reach water bodies, contributing to water pollution. Once in the water, these chemicals can disrupt aquatic ecosystems, especially affecting the reproductive systems of fish and other marine life.
  
  Look for personal care products labeled phosphate-free and paraben-free, and avoid products that contain microbeads, which are small plastic particles found in exfoliating scrubs and toothpaste.

Community-Level Impact: Working Together for Cleaner Water

Beyond your home, there are ways to make a bigger impact through community action. Here’s how you and your neighbors can contribute:

• Participate in Local Waterway Cleanups. Litter and plastic waste are major contaminants in water bodies. Joining or organizing local river or beach cleanups helps keep trash out of the water while also raising awareness within your community.
  
  Look for organizations that host waterway cleanups or start your own neighborhood initiative. Even a few hours of picking up trash can make a significant difference.

• Push for Stronger Water Protections. Industrial activity is a significant contributor to water pollution. Industries like agriculture, mining, oil and gas extraction, and manufacturing discharge massive amounts of pollutants into rivers, lakes, and groundwater systems. While industries are regulated, enforcement and updating of these regulations are key. One of the most effective ways to protect water quality is by advocating for stricter regulations on industrial pollutants, agricultural runoff, and wastewater treatment, as well as ensuring these regulations are properly enforced. Public engagement in holding industries accountable is also key to achieving cleaner water.
  
  Support policies and candidates that advocate for clean water protection. Stay informed about local water issues, and when you see something wrong, speak up. Petitions, local government meetings, and advocacy groups are great places to start.

• Reduce Plastic Usage. Plastic waste is not just an ocean problem—rivers and lakes are equally affected. Plastics break down into microplastics, once microplastics are in the water, they’re extremely difficult to remove. Also, they can accumulate in aquatic ecosystems and can disrupt food chains by being ingested by marine life. Microplastics are also found in drinking water, and while research is ongoing, potential health risks include endocrine disruption and immune system effects.
  
  Reduce your plastic consumption by avoiding single-use plastics, bringing reusable bags, and opting for sustainable alternatives wherever possible. Every bit helps reduce the flow of plastic into our water sources.

Building a Future with Cleaner Water

World Water Monitoring Day might highlight the importance of monitoring, but we need to think bigger. Protecting water quality is about preventing pollution before it starts. The choices you make today—whether at home or in your community—can make a massive difference in keeping our water sources clean.

It’s time to rethink how we live, consume, and dispose of waste. Only by doing so can we ensure that the water we have left stays safe and healthy for future generations. After all, protecting water is protecting life.