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Reducing pollution....it starts with you!

Treating wastewater is only part of what is needed to protect our precious water resources. When harmful wastes and chemicals are poured into a drain or flushed down the toilet, they can cause problems for the waste wastewater collection and treatment system. And some of the chemicals can get past the treatment process to end up in the ocean or the Fraser River.

We need to reduce water pollution where it starts - in industries and businesses. In 1990, the GVRD passed the Sewer Use Bylaw to control what industries and businesses put into the sewer system. Companies that discharge potentially harmful chemicals and wastes into sewers must get a special permit from the GVRD. The permit limits these chemicals and wastes to amounts that can be treated safely at treatment plants and prohibits some wastes. Companies that do not obey the bylaw or permit are subject to costly fines. By cooperating with the bylaw, companies are helping to reduce water pollution and keep sludge at a quality suitable for recycling.

However, industries and businesses are only responsible for some of the contaminants entering the wastewater system. The other major source is individual hoseholds.

What households can do!

1.Keep a jug of water in the fridge. Every time you run the tap to make sure the water is cold, you are creating wastewater.

2.Garbage in, garbage out. Do not use the toilet as a trash can. Anything that goes in has to be taken out at the treatment plant. If less goes in, less has to be taken out which means more efficient and less costly treatment.

3.Adopt natural gardening practices. That means using natural methods to kill pests and weeds. If you must use fertilizers and pesticides, use them sparingly. Some of them inevitably wash off into storm drains or local streams.

4.Replace conventional toilets with low-volume flush toilets. Conventional models use 29 litres a flush while the low-volume flush toilets need only six litres. It will help reduce waster consumption by 70 per cent and total household water consumption by nearly 30 per cent.

5.Turn off the tap while you brush your teeth or shave. In the few moments it takes to brush or shave, a running tap will fill thiry two - 250 mililitre glasses!

6.Look for technological innovations to help you save water. There is a wide variety of such devices including low-flow showerheads and tap aerators available in hardware stores. They can reduce the amount of water used in a houshold by up to 50 per cent.

7.Watch for fish on the road. A fish painted on the road surface next to some stormwater drains means water entering the drain will exit into a nearby stream. The fish is a reminder not to pour toxic materials into the drains.

For more information on this topic go to the Greater Vancouver Regional District Website