According to the environmental protection agency, or EPA, surface water contamination is a big deal. When the surface water of a lake, an ocean, bay or even reservoir becomes contaminated, it can wind up affecting an entire community. This is exactly why it is so important to prevent contamination in the first place. What is surface water contamination? Basically, it is contamination that affects only the surface of the water, which has runoff from a drainage pipe. The surface water is basically the new water or moisture that has been added to the existing body of water. If the runoff has come from pipes, the surface water may be contaminated with rust or other harmful minerals. If the runoff has come from affected soil, there may be bacteria. Fortunately, there are a number of ways to protect and prevent these bodies of water so that contaminated surface water isn’t a problem. Here are some ways that you can help prevent surface water contamination.

  1. As an individual, you can prevent contamination by not placing chemicals or other harmful properties down your drain – even putting these items in your storm drain can prove to be toxic. These chemicals can seep into the ground and affect the groundwater. If that toxic groundwater reaches your reservoirs, you could have a serious problem.
  2. Make sure that you replace pipes regularly – large runoff pipes can cause issues, mostly because they are old and send rust and other minerals down the drain and into the water supply. If these pipes are replaced every ten years or so, this may be the culprit when it comes to the contamination of your ground water. If you notice that city runoff pipes are rusted or corroded, you certainly want to speak up and say something about it.
  3. Cut the runoff output if it is toxic or harmful – if the issue has built up over a certain amount of time, you definitely can save the runoff by simply turning off the main valve. In some cases, you may have to make an emergency decision to save a body of water from becoming polluted. Once the water has become polluted, the mess is almost too complex to clean up, so you want to nip the issue in the bud. You can also start by having a company like Microbial Insights Inc. test the water – environmental remediation is an affordable option compared to not doing anything at all and waiting for a catastrophe.
  4. Create society awareness about fertilizers – many communities use fertilizers for their lawns. It is important, though, to realize that these fertilizers may actually be harmful for the water supply. Once these fertilizers enter the ground water, they can pollute surface water. Ideally, you want your community to use alternative options. There are many natural fertilizers that can make your plants grow big and beautiful.
  5. Don’t overuse water – the more water you have to use, the more you have to worry about contamination. This may seem strange, but it is true. If your home uses more water, the filtration process may have to filter more water, which will take more chemicals. In the end, you want to be sure that you regulate how much water you actually use.