"Water is regarded as a free good, and users...tend to use it wastefully. Excessive use creates a need for additional supplies, which leads to higher costs and added pressures on resources. Citizens bear both the financial and environmental costs in one way or another, though the burden is not distributed among them according to the resources they use..."
Currents of Change.
Final Report, Inquiry on Federal Water Policy, September 1985.
Without clean water, the earth would, of course, be uninhabitable. But how often does that thought occur to us as we go about our daily lives?
Most of us take for granted the water we use to wash the car, to shower, to water the lawn, cook and flush our wastes away. We do half-loads of laundry, ignore a dripping tap and run the water while brushing our teeth. Used motor oil, solvents, paints and a great variety of household cleaners are dumped down the drain, causing detrimental effects on water quality and the lives that depend on it.
In fact, it seems that we treat lakes, oceans, rivers and streams more like part of our sewer system than our life-support system.
Whether or not there will always be water fit for drinking and lakes and rivers clean enough for swimming, and whether or not fish and other aquatic life survive, depend on our success in understanding -- and changing -- these attitudes and actions.
Each of us uses up to 260 litres (57 gallons) of water on average every day. A family of four uses an average of 1160 litres (255 gallons) each day. Compare this with the tank for an oil-burning furnace, which holds about 909 litres (close to 200 gallons), and multiply this demand by the population in your city or community. The demand is enormous.
On top of that, add the water used outside our homes in manufacturing products and in producing food for us to eat. And don't forget the implications of product manufacturing for water quality.
How does production relate to water quality? For example, manufacturing plants and energy-generating facilities produce the emissions responsible for acid rain -- killing lakes and wildlife. And your week-end newspaper doesn't only represent trees, energy and water -- it also represents effluent discharged into waterways from pulp and paper mills. Each of us, when we buy a product, bears part of the responsibility for its environmental costs.
Acids, chlorine, petroleum distillates, caustic soda and lye. Every day small amounts of these chemicals and others, ingredients of common cleaning products, end up in sewers, septic tanks, lakes and rivers.
Some people claim that cleaning products are diluted in the water, posing no threat to water quality. Large quantities of some of these products are considered hazardous wastes. Hazardous wastes dumped down the drain end up in our drinking water supplies. In rural areas, they may seriously damage the operation of a septic tank system. Other chemicals interfere with natural biological processes.
For example, phosphates are used in laundry detergents and cleaners to soften the water. But treatment does not entirely eliminate the phosphates, so they end up in lakes and rivers where they encourage the growth of algae which seriously affects water quality.
A complete ban on detergent phosphates was proposed back in 1970 and never fully implemented. Regulations did reduce the phosphate content of laundry detergents in Canada to 5% (from a high as 45%) in 1973. However, phosphate content in other cleaners is not restricted. For example, dishwasher detergent may still contain up to 30% phosphate. (Protect Yourself, September 1985.) Non-phosphate products are just as effective.
Many people put faith in the efficiency of sewage treatment to remove contaminants. It may come as a shock to learn that 1985 statistics showed that less than 60% of Canadians lived in communities with sewage treatment. Almost one-third of the population was served by sewers but had no treatment facilities. Instead, the waste water was discharged directly into waterways.
But even sewage that is treated before being discharged is not free of contaminants. furthermore, the sludge removed during treatment may contain metals and other toxic substances and most are not adequately treated before disposal. "Disposal" may mean incineration, in which case the toxins are released into the air, or the sludge may be sold to farmers to spread on fields, where the toxins may be taken up by food crops.
Drain clean (Snake) (see Alternative Product) can help break up the blockage. Finish the job with the plunger.
A mild chemical reaction might work for a sluggish drain. Pour 50 ml (1/4 cup) of baking soda down the drain. Pour 125 ml (1/2 cup) of vinegar in the drain. Quickly cover with a rag. Let the bubbly reaction work on the clog for about 30 minutes. then pour boiling water down the drain (preferable to toxics!).
Write to individual manufacturers and tell them
Urge the federal government's Environmental Choice Program to create guidelines for a water-saving device category.
Tell your municipal government that water conservation is critical. Tell them to carry out aggressive public awareness campaigns and introduce water and sewage rates which will promote water conservation and appreciation.
The following recipes for alternative cleaners are simple and inexpensive, protect water quality by replacing hazardous products and reduce packaging waste. Many of these cleaners can be used for more than one purpose.
Instead of paper towels, use rags for cleaning cloths (launder when necessary). For mirrors or windows, use newspaper crumpled into a ball.
All-purpose spray cleaner
Mix half water, half white vinegar in a spray bottle. No need to rinse. Use for toilet, windows, woodwork, mirrors, countertops.
Floor washing
Vinegar and water. Or mix 45 ml (3 tbsp.) of washing soda in 1 litre (4 cups) of water. (You may need to use vinegar and water to rinse.) Washing soda (sodium carbonate) is a non-phosphate water softener. slightly alkaline, it boosts the cleaning power of plain water and is used as a laundry detergent additive. Available in the laundry product section at the grocery store.
Scouring and deodorizing
Use baking soda as you would scouring powder (works for cleaning the toilet bowl, removing greasy fingerprints from light switchplates, and for cleaning the tub and sink, too). Rinse.
Give it a fair trial! Expect to scrub a little harder than with a commercial scouring powder. A plastic "bun" scrubber is a great help.
Why baking soda? It is inexpensive. It is not over packaged (the box is biodegradable, may be made of recycled paper, and/or may be recyclable), and can be bought in bulk (further reducing packaging waste). It is non-phosphate, contains no chlorine*. And it will not scratch surfaces.
(*It has been known for some time that chlorine reacts with organic material to form toxic compounds. It has been noted in chlorinated sewage plant effluent and, in 1989, toxins found in the effluent from pulp and paper mills and in finished paper products were attributed to chlorine bleaching of the pulp. We can contribute to environmental protection by eliminating use of chlorine in our homes. The small amounts we use add up!)
Rug & carpet cleaners
sprinkle cornstarch on dry carpets or rugs to absorb dirt and grease and, after five minutes, vacuum thoroughly.
Rug deodorizer
Sprinkle dry rugs or broadloom generously with baking soda. Leave for about 20 minutes and then vacuum thoroughly.
Mild antiseptic
Mix 125 ml (1/2 cup) of borax with 1 litre (4 cups) of hot water.
Write to: Ben A. Benninger, Water Conservation Coordinator, Operations Division, Regional Municipality of Waterloo, Marsland Centre, Waterloo, Ontario, N2J 4G7.
Municipalities across Canada charge varying rates for water, but Canadians do not pay the "real" cost of waste treatment and water delivery. About 75% of Canadians pay water rates that do not promote conservation.
Environment Canada calculates the average monthly family consumption as 35 m3 (35,000 litres or 7700 gallons).
Here's a check list to help you evaluate cleaning products. Is it:
non-aerosol and minimally packagednon-poisonousnon-toxicnon-corrosiveinexpensive (an added bonus!)phosphate-freeall-purposere-usable (e.g., plunger, hair trap, cleaning cloths)available in bulk
Not every product will meet all of these criteria, but they're good reminders.
A biodegradable cleaning product is not necessarily phosphate-free. The term "biodegradable" does not refer to phosphate content. Check labels carefully or write to the manufacturer to find out about phosphate levels. (Remember phosphate content is regulated in laundry detergent only.)
Find out how much you know about your water consumption.
Choose one correct answer for each (your choice of litres or gallons).
Answers: [read right to left]
Source: Home & Family Guide. Copyright© 1989. The Harmony Foundation of Canada. Portions of this publication may be reproduced for educational non-profit purposes with appropriate credit given to The Harmony Foundation of Canada.
Converted December 17, 1999 - Lg
