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WATER'S TEN MOST-WANTED
Or: How Your Cat is Trying to Kill You
Brian GongolDJ Gongol & Associates, Inc.
November 3, 2016
Nebraska Section AWWA Fall ConferenceKearney, Nebraska
If the water cycle means anything...
Then drinking-water professionals need to speak up
Garbage in, garbage out
Source water protection is massively importantto the quality of public drinking water
These are ten enemies of clean source water
We're only talking about domestic sources
Forget agricultural runoff and pollutants
Runoff is a huge issue,but few of us talk directly
to farmers
Forget industrial pollution
It's a convenient boogeyman,but regulators are already involved
Don't let households off the hook
We want the public to take ownership
Nobody washes or waxes a rented car
Public Enemy #1: Geese
What's the problem?
They're obnoxious, obviously
But they also pollute directly into urban ponds
What's the public doing wrong?
The public really doesn't understandthe impact of nutrients
What do we want them to change?
Understand the nutrient-pollution relationship
What do we want them to change?
Recognize nutrient-overloadedbodies of water
in their own neighborhood
Public Enemy #2: Dogs and cats
What's the problem?
America has a huge number of pets
What's the problem?
Those pets relieve themselvesof an enormous volume of waste
What's the public doing wrong?
Plenty of jerks don't clean up after their pets
What's the public doing wrong?
Pet waste gets on your shoes...But it also washes into storm drains
What's the public doing wrong?
Pet waste is highly concentratedand contaminates storm sewers,
streams, rivers, and creeks
What do we want them to change?
Recognize that domestic pets like Fido and Fluffyaren't "just like" wild rabbits and deer
What do we want them to change?
Realize that pets eat concentrated foodand create concentrated waste
What do we want them to change?
Clean up after pets and dispose of waste properly
Public Enemy #3: Trees
What's the problem?
Leaves and yard wasteget into storm sewers
and create nutrient problems
What's the public doing wrong?
People dump grass clippings in the streetand blow leaves into the storm sewers
What do we want them to change?
Mulch yard waste back into the soil
What do we want them to change?
Collect leaves and yard waste for composting
Public Enemy #4: Lawn fertilizer
What's the problem?
Runoff from over-fertilized lawnsputs nitrogen and phosphorus
into source water
What's the public doing wrong?
Dumping too much fertilizeron residential lawns in pursuit
of golf-course perfection
What's the public doing wrong?
Fertilizing at the wrong time
What's the public doing wrong?
Cutting grass at the wrong height
What's the public doing wrong?
Watering like idiots
What do we want them to change?
Fertilize efficiently
What do we want them to change?
Water efficiently
What do we want them to change?
Accept that a picture-perfect lawnis not a sane goal
Public Enemy #5: Spray-applied pesticides
Not this kind, but the household kind
What's the problem?
Spray feeders and nozzles on garden hosescreate a huge backflow risk
What's the public doing wrong?
Almost willfully ignoringthe risk of backflow
from our chemical-happy habits
What do we want them to change?
Learn that backflow preventionis primarily for their own protection
What do we want them to change?
Recognize the hazards ofputting water supplies
in close contactwith dangerous chemicals
Public Enemy #6: Aging pipes
What's the problem?
Old pipes passing through contaminated areas can introduce chemicals to drinking-water systems, especially
when low-pressure events create passing vacuums at joints
What's the public doing wrong?
Blindly imagining that water infrastructureis free and lasts forever
What do we want them to change?
Recognize that investing in water infrastructureprotects public health and has no substitute
Public Enemy #7: Prescription drugs
What's the problem?
Pharmaceuticals are going through peopleand finding their way into source water
What's the public doing wrong?
Using antibiotics like morons
What's the public doing wrong?
Flushing drugs down the (space) toilet
What do we want them to change?
Use antibiotic soaps and cleaners sparingly and sensibly* NOTE: The FDA is making this mandatory anyway
What do we want them to change?
Dispose of used or expired pharmaceuticalsthrough proper channels
Public Enemy #8: Fresh paint
What's the problem?
Users put all kinds of contaminants down the drain
What's the public doing wrong?
People wash brushes and ragsand drain the wastestraight into the sink
What do we want them to change?
Think before you flush (or send it down any drain)
What do we want them to change?
Use hazardous waste cleanup daysto dispose of old paints, varnishes,
and similar materials
What do we want them to change?
Use non-water methods of cleanup
Public Enemy #9: Sidewalk/driveway salt
What's the problem?
Aggressive measures to clear snow and ice from roads, sidewalks,
and driveways ultimately sends
salt into receiving streams
What's the public doing wrong?
Salting the ground like asuper-sized
order ofFrench fries
What do we want them to change?
Think about the use of salt, sand, and griton pavement before dumping them mindlessly
Public Enemy #10: Cars
What's the problem?
Oil leaks
What's the problem?
Gasoline spillage
What's the problem?
Household car washing
What's the public doing wrong?
Creating non-point-source pollution withcareless oil changes
What's the public doing wrong?
Creating non-point-source pollution withsloppy fill-ups
What's the public doing wrong?
Creating non-point-source pollution withinefficient household car washing
What do we want them to change?
Realize that everything that spills on the groundflows downstream
What do we want them to change?
Use dedicated car washes
What do we want them to change?
Dispose properly of used motor oil
That's ten big enemies of source-water quality
Let's figure out what you can do to help
Tools you can use
Bill stuffers
Advertising and PSAs
Newspaper columns
TV and radio interviews
Check out the effortsof Bill Stowe at
Des MoinesWater Works
Parades
Parades
This is outreach!
Open houses
Internet presence (in three parts)
Website(s) - You aren't limited to just one
Luncheon talks
Summary
Safe drinking water really is everyone's business
Public buy-in is required
You're in the best position to make the case
Help people see these 10 problems (and more!)
People are motivated by a sense of ownership
Use all of the tools at your disposal
There's a lot the public needs to know
Ask me (or someone else)if you need help!
Any questions?
Brian Gongol • DJ Gongol & Associates
515-223-4144
@djgongol on Facebook or Twitter
References
Water-cycle image is public-domain work by the EPA
https://www3.epa.gov/safewater/kids/pdfs/graphic_grades_k-3_watercycle.pdf
Aerial photo of Lincoln, Nebraska is public-domain work by the USGS
https://www.sciencebase.gov/catalog/item/564d77fbe4b0112df6c4fffa
Pet quantities from the American Veterinary Medical Association
https://www.avma.org/KB/Resources/Statistics/Pages/Market-research-statistics-US-pet-ownership.aspx
All other photographs and illustrations are original work of Brian Gongol. Copyright and all other rights reserved.
