Water is an invaluable natural resource. Most living beings need water to survive and without a reliable source of freshwater society as we know it cannot function. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, less than one percent of all water on Earth is available for human use!

Illinois is a water-rich state and has approximately 80,000 to 90,000 miles of streams and rivers alone. Along with the destruction of millions of acres of wetlands in Illinois and other states during the 19^th and 20^th centuries, and to some extent today, the quality of our water is a huge concern. Pollutants surround us in almost every setting. During precipitation events, substances such as metals, oils, petroleum, microplastics, sand, clay, organic materials, prescription drugs, bacteria and nutrients from our environment are absorbed and washed into our waterways. These substances are typically toxic to aquatic life such as fish and insects and can percolate into our freshwater aquifers. Water pollutants can also deplete oxygen levels leading to fish kills and cause excess sedimentation in streams.

Improving water quality begins with us and how we live. Because water is fluid, it flows from a higher to lower elevation and is not restricted to a specific municipality, county, or even state. What we do as individuals to the water affects those downstream and across oceans! Certainly, eliminating fertilizer use, reducing waste and plastic use, and reducing use of other non-organic products will help decrease the pollutant load in existing wetland, stream, and lake systems; however, there are also other effective natural solutions that will aid in cleaning up our water supply.

Click on the following links to learn more about what you can do to mitigate the effects of water pollution and how W2W can help improve water quality for your project or property!