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Holiday dinner guests often mean extra food and dirty dishes—which can mean extra water used in your home. But if every household dropped their daily water use by 10 gallons this holiday season, it would save more than one billion gallons of water—enough for one million households with dishwashers to wash their dishes for a year. Viewer [...]

Rain keeps our forests in the Pacific Northwest green. Raindrops also wash off our roofs, across lawns and down onto streets and parking lots, carrying chemicals from our yards and automobiles to local waterways. These chemicals are absorbed by small organisms that are eaten by fish, birds and animals and can disrupt reproduction and ability to fight [...]

Earth Gauge Video is available for this tip. A recent study looked at the impacts of driveways, sidewalks, streets and other hard surfaces on life in streams near urban areas across the country. When just 10 percent of a watershed is covered by pavement, aquatic life declines in streams by as much as 33 percent. [...]

A 2009 survey of Texas residents found that four in 10 Texans admitted to littering in the past month. More than half of those people littered while driving or riding in a car; others littered when a trashcan could not be located or when walking or playing outside. Litter is more than an eyesore – [...]

Leaves in the streets this fall equal green lakes next summer. According to the Madison Area Municipal Storm Water Partnership, when it rains, any yard debris in the street gets washed directly into the nearest lake or stream via storm drains. Even if the leaves never move, rainwater running over and through them makes a [...]

Did you know that it takes a considerable amount of energy to heat water for tasks such as showering or washing? In fact, letting your faucet run for five minutes uses about as much energy as letting a 60-watt light bulb run for 14 hours. Viewer Tip:  To help reduce your gas or electric bills [...]

A recent study by the U.S. Geological Survey found elevated levels of nitrogen and phosphorus in many streams and groundwater supplies across the country. Elevated levels were most often found in streams near agricultural areas, particularly in the Northeast, Midwest and Northwest, as well as near urban areas. In many cases, concentrations of nitrogen and [...]

Earth Gauge Video is available for this tip. Our urban and suburban development yields miles of paved roads and acres parking lots. Rain water runoff from these surfaces has now become a major source of water pollution in our rivers and streams.  How can we slow down the flow? Trees are a big help. Their [...]

Beavers are excellent builders: they are the only other animal besides humans that create their own wetlands! Beavers live in riparian areas – near the edges of streams. They build dams that stop the flow of water from small streams. Eventually, wetland plants move into the area, creating habitat for animals such as deer, birds [...]

A bog is a type of wetland found mostly in the northern United States that prevents flooding by absorbing excess rainwater. Unlike other types of wetlands, bogs get all or most of their water from precipitation. They are created by the plants that grow within them. Sphagnum moss, also known as peat moss, forms a [...]

Seagrasses are submerged flowering plants found in shallow waters along coasts. Fifty-eight species of seagrasses exist around the world, and six are found in the northern Gulf of Mexico. Florida waters contain the two largest seagrass beds in the continental United States: the Florida Keys and the Florida Big Bend regions. Seagrass beds hold coastal [...]

Seagrasses are submerged flowering plants found in shallow waters along coasts. Fifty-eight (58) species of seagrasses exist around the world, and six are found in the northern Gulf of Mexico. Seagrass beds hold coastal soil in place and reduce the severity of waves. They provide important habitat – food, water and shelter – for marine [...]

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Botanic Garden produced this 9-minute video, Reduce Runoff: Slow It Down, Spread It Out, Soak It In.  The video highlights green techniques such as rain gardens, green roofs and rain barrels to help manage stormwater runoff.  Learn more about protecting water quality. Get the latest Flash Player [...]

The United States contains about 40 million acres of coastal wetlands. Coastal wetlands such as salt marshes that provide critical habitat – food, water and shelter – for many species of fish, birds and other animals. Compared to other coastal states, Florida, Texas, California and Louisiana have lost the most coastal marshland. California alone has [...]

The United States contains about 40 million acres of coastal wetlands, most of which are found in the Southeast. Coastal wetlands such as salt marshes provide critical habitat – food, water and shelter – for many species of fish, birds and other animals. Compared to other coastal states, Florida, Texas, California and Louisiana have lost [...]

May is American Wetlands Month! The United States contains about 40 million acres of coastal wetlands. Coastal wetlands such as salt marshes that provide critical habitat – food, water and shelter – for many species of fish, birds and other animals. From 1998 and 2004, nearly 60,000 acres of these coastal wetlands disappeared per year. [...]

Soil is eroding in the United States at about 17 times the rate it is formed!  Soil erosion is a natural process where soil is moved by water or wind.  Soil can impact water quality, reducing a stream or lake’s ability to store water and support plant growth. Viewer Tip: You can prevent soil erosion [...]

Did you know that because of impervious surfaces like pavement and rooftops, a typical city block generates more than five times more runoff than a woodland area of the same size?  Much of the land surface in urban and suburban areas is covered by buildings and pavements, which do not allow rain or snow melt [...]

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the average American family of four uses 400 gallons of water per day!  Water conservation can start right at home.  Diverting less water for municipal uses helps to preserve stream flow and maintain healthy aquatic environments. Viewer Tip: Give these easy water conservation tips a try: Place a [...]

Want to volunteer to keep your neighborhood clean?  Adopt a street!  Individuals or groups have the opportunity to “adopt” a section of road in pledging to keep it free of debris.  Controlling litter and debris not only makes our landscapes more beautiful, it also helps protect water quality by keeping trash and other debris out [...]