Water Your New Year's Conservation Resolutions?

Wrapping up this tough year, many are looking to start 2021 with a clean slate and a fresh start. As many of us turned to the outdoors and nature this past year, we gained a deeper appreciation for our parks, lakes, preserves, rivers, gardens, and oceans. We recognized how important these resources are to us in coping, relaxing, recreating, and sustaining. At the core of what makes it all possible is simple: water. In the New Year, let us return the favor to the resource that helped support us in these tough times. In addition to your personal resolutions, we encourage you to take these steps to protect and conserve water resources:

Get your well water tested. Unlike those that rely on public drinking water, if you have well water in your home or business, you are responsible for getting your own water tested. At least once a year, you should test for bacteria. Contact a state-certified lab to get started. To learn more about well water, visit our Private Drinking Water Wells page.

Use safe medication disposal methods like dropbox disposals at your local police station or pharmacy or look for a semi-annual collection event. While flushing old medications keeps them from being used by someone else, it is NOT encouraged. Doing so can have negative impacts on aquatic life, septic systems, and sewage treatment plants, which often remain untreated, flowing into drinking water.

Inspect and pump out your septic system. To keep up proper maintenance of septic systems, they should be pumped every three to five years depending on size and intensity of usage. In between pump-outs, go easy on your system and Don’t Flush Trouble.

Find and fix any leaks in your fixtures or toilets in your home. Just one drip a minute can result in more than 4 gallons of water wasted each month. Use this online drip calculator to estimate your water waste (or savings).

Sign the RiverSmart Pledge and commit to taking steps to protect your local water resources.

Whether you choose resolutions listed here or create your own, you are helping to protect the quality and quantity of water for not only you, your neighbors, and the natural community!