Keeping Our Waters a Paddling Paradise – Part 2

If you missed the first part of this article you can catch up by reading Keeping Our Waters a Paddling Paradise – Part 1.

The pollution running into our streams, lakes and oceans is a direct result of our poor habits. It is not too late to be proactive and to follow some simple guidelines that can make a massive difference in keeping  pollution out of the water.

This will will help protect all aquatic life as well as swimmers, and as an added benefit it will also help keep the water beautiful for kayaking.

In the first part of this article we discussed simple proactive steps that can be done at home. In this article we will look at car care as well as shopping habits and disposal.

How Proper Car Care can Protect our Waters

We all know that vehicles are a major source of pollution. I believe more and more people are making an effort to use their car less frequently, car pool, use public transport and ride their bike.

However the fact is that most of us are simply not willing to give them up completely. If you have a vehicle, learning proper car care can really help to protect our waters.

Below are some simple guidelines to follow.

• Oil is one of the biggest polluters of waterways. Use recycled motor oil. Production of recycled motor oil only requires 2.4% of the oil as well as only 50% of the energy of new production.

• If you do spill or leak any oil, clean it up otherwise rain will wash it into the storm drains. Try to avoid spills by using a drip pan when changing your cars fluids.

• Keep your car maintained regularly.

• When you wash your car use a bucket of water as opposed to running a hose and use a biodegradable soap. Also remove any black dust from your hubcaps with a damp paper towel and dispose of it in the trash. The dust can contain copper and zinc.

• If you take your car to a car wash try and find one that recycles and reuses its water.

• Of course if you can limit the use of your car this will be a very big help to the quality of the water as well as the air. Try and plan so that all of your errands can be done in one shot. Also look into carpooling and ridesharing… many communities have something like this set up.

Change your Shopping Habits to Keep Pollutants out of the Water

Shopping for groceries and household products can become a very habitual event. We tend to buy what we know and have already used. By changing a few key things in your shopping habits you can help keep pollution from making its way to the rivers, lakes or oceans in your area.

• Learn what is toxic and harmful. Start reading labels and watch for “warnings”. Warning labels should be avoided as these are usually very toxic and dangerous. When you clean your house with toxic products they are not only being breathed by you and your family but they are also being absorbed into your skin as well as washed into your drains.

• Look for alternatives. Once you have become an expert at reading labels you can then start searching for safer alternatives. Get into the habit of knowing where the all natural products are at your grocery store. Sometimes they have a separate section and sometimes they are mixed in with all of the rest of the products. Avoid harsh chemicals, aerosol products, bleach, dye’s, ammonia, and other toxic ingredients. There is always a safe alternative that can be used instead.

• When you are shopping be careful not to overbuy. If you absolutely feel you need to buy a toxic product, only purchase what you need.

• If you have any hazardous waste products in your home be sure you dispose of it properly. It is illegal to dispose of these items in the drains or trash. Your community will have a local hazardous waste hotline that you can call to find out exactly where you can safely dispose of these items.

It is possible for every single person to make a very big difference in keeping our water clean. If you can implement many of these guidelines into your daily life then you will not only be helping to keep pollution out of the water but you will also inspire others to do the same.

There is no reason for our waters to be as polluted as they are and it is simply a matter of changing a few habits and being conscious and aware. We are so fortunate to have such amazing waterways in this world to explore and to kayak on and it is extremely important that we keep them as clean and safe as possible.

If you have any other suggestions or guidelines that we could all implement into our daily lives to help keep pollution out of the water please leave a comment below and share your thoughts.

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Keeping Our Waters a Paddling Paradise – Part 1

I have often noticed when I have been kayaking that the waters have not always been crystal clear. In fact many times there has been enough pollution in the water to make me very uncomfortable.

I am well aware of the fact that to keep our waters a paddling paradise there is much work that needs to be done. The responsibility of keeping our waters clean does not come down to one person, one group or one source.

The responsibility falls on all of us and as kayakers we tend to have a particular interest in the water being free of toxic pollution.

Facts about Water Pollution

One of the major contaminants of water is oil. One quart of oil is able to contaminate 250,000 gallons of water. To put that into perspective cars are responsible for dispersing fifty million gallons of oil each year from burned exhaust, oil dripping on roadways, as well as illegal dumping. A lot of that oil ends up as run-off pollution into the water.

Other major sources of water pollution are:

• Yard waste
• Dirt
• Pesticides

When we have heavy rainfalls or storms the excess water carries these pollutants down the drains and into our lakes, streams and oceans.

It is very easy not to think about these things as we go about our daily lives until suddenly, one day,  it smacks you in the face when you are kayaking and the smell of the water or the murkiness makes you feel semi-guilty and a little bit sick. It is the kind of thing where once you have seen it and experienced it you simply can’t ignore it. However, not to worry, there is lots that can be done to help.

Guidelines for Keeping Our Waters Clean

The first place we can start is at home. Below are some easy tips that everyone can follow:

• Only water your yard or garden when absolutely necessary. Excessive watering is actually one of the main activities that can lead to storm water pollution.

• Eliminate toxic pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers in your garden and on your yard. Yes they do help in killing annoying insects and weeds, but they can also kill birds, fish, and make the water very polluted. You or your child may be swimming in the water where those chemicals end up and they can make you very sick. There are lots of nontoxic alternatives that can be researched online or at your local nursery.

• If you absolutely have to use some type of chemical on your yard or in your garden do not use it before a rain storm. The storm will wash the chemicals into the drains and then into your waterways poisoning every living thing along its way.

• Compost your yard trimmings as they can clog up storm drains.  Once the waste reaches the ocean it decays and absorbs oxygen which the fish need to survive. Check with your community as usually there is some type of program that will pick up at certain times yard waste for composting.

• Clean up after your pets. I actually didn’t realize this before but animal feces that get washed into storm drains are responsible for a very high level of harmful bacteria in the water. Again this is something that is easy to not think about but is really important to not ignore.

Over the next day or two we will continue to look at the issue of keeping our water clean and simple things that we can all do to be more conscious, aware and proactive. In the next article we’ll look at car care, shopping and disposal.

Update: Part 2 of this article is now finished and can be viewed here: Keeping Our Waters a Paddling Paradise – Part 2

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