The results are in! Did your favorite beach come out on top? The National Resources Defense Council just released their 24th annual “Testing the Waters” report. This report presents water quality at beaches along the Atlantic & Pacific Oceans, the Gulf of Mexico and the Great Lakes. Thankfully, some of our Virginia and North Carolina beaches are shining stars for water quality. But that’s not always the case.
Have you ever heard about a section of beach being closed off due to high bacteria levels? It happens, even here in beautiful Hampton Roads. High bacteria in our waterways can be attributed to stormwater pollution (like dog poop left on the ground!) and untreated sewage spills and overflows. If you swim in water that has high bacteria levels you could get the stomach flu, pink eye, dysentery, hepatitis or other serious medical problems. Major gross out!
So how can we make sure our local waterways stay healthy? askHRGreen is full of tips! Even if you don’t live on the water, your actions still directly affect the health of our waterways. So here are a few tips to keep you from being part of the problem:
- Scoop the Poop: Never leave dog waste on the ground, even in your own back yard. Scoop it, bag it, trash it!
- Plant More Plants: It’s better to have more plants than hard surfaces in your yard to allow stormwater to be absorbed and filtered into the ground. Plants have a great way of removing pollutants from water before it reaches our waterways
- Keep Fats, Oils, & Grease Out of the Drain: When poured down the drain, fats, oils and grease (FOG) build up on pipe walls, restricting the flow of wastewater exiting our home’s plumbing and, over time, causing sewer overflows into our homes or onto our streets, down storm drains, and into local waterways. Instead, pour FOG into a container, cover, freeze, and trash it on garbage day.