National Water Quality Month

It’s National Water Quality Month! This is a month dedicated to reflecting on the clean water we have and making the most of it. Water serves as an integral part of the individual, agricultural, and environmental health. As a county that is close to not just one but two major bodies of water in our state, the Chesapeake Bay and the Potomac River, reflecting on water quality is especially important. 

The National Water Quality Month website identifies four major sources of freshwater pollution. These include dumping industrial effluents, fertilizer runoff, leakage of sewage waste, and chemicals used at home, such as pesticides. With these pollution sources in mind, National Water Quality Month celebrations can include cleaning up your local water sources (such as streams, rivers, lakes or oceans), planting trees to prevent soil erosion, monitoring your area’s water quality, or other solutions and activities that can lead to conserving and cleaning our water. 

Here are a few resources that can help you get a better idea of the water qualities in Maryland, the water quality issues being discussed in the USA and beyond, the different strategies that can be used to conserve and protect water resources in your home, and the individuals fighting for better water quality and conservation: