It’s August, and that means it’s National Water Quality Month. This event was created to help raise awareness of just how vital it is to have and maintain fresh, clean water for everyone, as well as animal and plant life.

It’s a precious resource that many have taken for granted in the past…and some still do. However, by raising awareness, National Water Quality Month aims to give people the tools to educate others to do their part to keep our water quality high. It’s a lofty goal, and we all have a part to play.

Sometimes, though, it’s easy to lose sight of the simple, small actions that anyone can do to keep our water clean for all. Hands-on activities like volunteering or attending meetings can obviously have a big impact, but if you’ve got a busy schedule, it’s sometimes difficult to find the time. Today, we’ll walk you through some of the easiest actions you can do to help keep our water clean.

Dogs are a joy, aren’t they? Our furry friends provide companionship, cute moments for social media…and poop. Lots of it. While picking up after your dog isn’t anyone’s favorite activity, uncollected animal waste can have a devastating impact on your local watershed, especially lakes and reservoirs. While picking up after Fido is expected while out and about, don’t think you’re off the hook if your pet does their business in your backyard. Pick up anything your pet left behind at least once a week, or if rain is in the forecast.

If you’re a fan of washing your own car, you might want to take a break and let the pros handle it for you. When you wash your own car, harmful chemicals and substances from your car’s exterior – like wax, windshield wiper fluid and of course soap – find their way into the local watershed. Car washes, on the other hand, are required to get rid of their greywater through the water system, where it’s eventually treated and released for general consumption. Plus, most car washes tend to use less water!

If you’ve got a green thumb, this tip is for you. Planting trees tick several environmentally friendly boxes: They help clean our air, provide homes for local wildlife and prevent erosion. Erosion can pollute our lakes and reservoirs because the resulting material can make it difficult for the sun to reach through the water, which makes the underwater flora and fauna suffer. And if the lake is used as a freshwater source, the sediment from erosion will lower the overall quality of the drinking water. Help prevent this by planting trees and shrubs, which will go a long way in making sure your local watering hole stays clean.

As we discussed in our pharmaceuticals article, many of the medicines we use on a regular basis can have devastating effects on wildlife and livestock if they’re disposed of via the drain, and many water treatment systems aren’t equipped to handle them. Before you dump any medicines, check online to see if there are special disposal instructions or sites that will get rid of them properly.

We’re not suggesting that you preach the gospel of water quality to everyone you meet 24/7 but dropping a water fact into everyday conversation or providing suggestions can’t hurt. People tend to put more stock into information learned from someone they know personally, so pass the word along. You might be surprised by who listens.

To protect you and your family’s water, there’s no better filtration system on the market than King Water. Whether for a city or well system, our filters eliminate contaminants ranging from turbidity and chlorine to heavy metals and PFAS. Our systems require zero maintenance and are backed with up to a 20-year warranty and a 30-day money back guarantee, making them an easy choice to complement the other actions listed above. To get started, fill out our contact form or call us at 1-855-957-2166, and we’ll set up your free consultation. You can also purchase King Water Filtration systems through The Home Depot.

No one person can safeguard the quality of our water all by themselves but implementing small actions and changes can still have a big impact down the line. See how many of these tips you can implement into your everyday routine and help make National Water Quality Month a daily celebration.