Safeguard Your Water Year Round
Summer has arrived! It’s time for family vacations to the beach, barbecues at your neighbors’, long hot days by the pool and cool evening walks. One thing most people don’t think about in the summertime is testing their water supplies. The summer season can affect your water supplies just as much as any season can.
Did you know that every season your drinking water could be contaminated by different factors? Whether it is the summer, winter, spring or fall, there are many seasonal changes that can contaminate your ground water. Changes in precipitation, temperature, humidity, and wind have an effect on the quality of drinking water. Testing your water supplies regularly can ensure safe drinking water for your whole family.
During the summer season there are many factors that may affect your ground water. The increase in temperature alone causes a lot of potential problems to water supplies. In the summer, humidity and temperature allow ground water to be more prone to bacteria. There is an increase in the use of recreational water supplies, summer bugs and animals are out, and farmers begin to plant their crops. All of these factors can affect the quality of your drinking water.
There is also the potential threat of droughts in the summer. A drought can significantly change the quality of your water. The change in the water table can lead to a higher-level of bacteria since coliform sinks to the bottom. Aquifers can begin to draw water from areas that have not been tapped before. A dry ground also allows surface water to rush through the ground instead of being filtered on its way to the aquifer.
All of these factors can contaminate your water supplies. To ensure your family’s safety, you can take a number of precautions throughout every season. Conservation of water is not only important to your own water supplies but to the entire environment. Do what you can to conserve water and it will only benefit everyone.
Testing your water regularly is a must. It is best if you get your water supplies tested quarterly or at the least every nine to fifteen months. Testing your water regularly will only help you prevent and solve any problems that may sneak up on your water supply during any season.
Prevention Tip #21:
Reduce pesticide and fertilizer application by landscaping your lawn and garden with hardy plants that need little or no watering, fertilizers, or pesticides.