10 Ways to Keep Local Waterways Clean

Steps you can take to reduce water pollution

Today we turn our blog over to a very special guest contributor, Katie Callahan, President of Friends of the Reedy River. FRR is a volunteer-based, conservation organization dedicated to promoting, preserving, and restoring the Reedy River that runs right here in Greenville, South Carolina.

Protecting waterways is all about changes in behavior. You know what is the best way for us as a community to learn about change? It’s through watching your neighbors.

So much of what we do as humans, and as an evolving society, is based on what those around us are doing, what the best business is doing, what we observe. So, your individual commitment to protecting clean water is actually an element of change with the potential to affect many!

So, here’s my top 10 for individuals who want to protect waterways:

1. Keep Your Septic Clean: Own a septic tank? If unsure, definitely find out if you own this personal wastewater treatment system. Never flush personal hygiene products and wipe your pans before washing, have it pumped every three years, and it will last you a long, long time without adding bacteria to local waterways.
2. Use Fertilizer Sparingly: Tolerate clover – it’s good for the honeybees – and only fertilize according to your soil test results for the plants you want to grow. Unused fertilizer washes off in storms, and can lead to algal issues and even fish kills.
3. Never Flush a “Flushable” Wipe: You might be able to flush it, but these cloths wreak havoc in our sewer systems, leading to wastewater backups and threatening our drinking and recreational waters.
4. Reuse Rainwater: Build a rain barrel and reuse that rainwater. Trust me – you will watch your plants flourish with rain water over treated drinking water that comes out of your hose.
5. Route Gutters to Plants: Disconnect! If you have a gutter, please don’t let it go out to your driveway or stormwater catch basin. Run that gutter through a landscaping bed to create a rain garden and allow it to water your plants. As much as possible, disconnect impervious surfaces like rooftops and driveways so that nature can capture these pollutants.
6. Get involved! South Carolina has a lot of great programs for those interested in protecting clean water. Attend the annual Friends of the River Clean Up on the Reedy on September 15th, become certified as an Adopt-a-Stream volunteer monitor, and then get involved in your community. Bring these messages back to your elected and appointed officials that your city’s or county’s vitality depends on healthy natural resources.
7. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle: That same adage is still solid gold: reduce, reuse, recycle. Cut the plastics out of your life with each purchase you make.
8. Help Protect Topsoil: We are losing topsoil faster than we can create it. Start a compost bin and recycle these kitchen scraps and leaves into natural fertilizer in your yard. Also, prevent erosion. Sediment clogs the habitat of the smallest critters in our streams and provides habitat for bacteria in a stream. So, allow your lawn to grow a little taller, seed or plant eroding areas, and call the local authorities when you see sediment washing out of construction areas.
9. Never Flush Old Medicines: Our wastewater treatment processes overall have been the same for a century. However, they cannot fully remove the chemicals in your medicines. Find out if your local police department or utility will take these for you.
10. DON’T FEED THE GEESE. Our lawn practices, lack of predators, and bread feeding habits have caused Canada Geese to stop their natural migration. Fiber disrupts their diet and is unhealthy for them. Their intestines are rich in bacteria, which causes water pollution. And their strong honing sense means that they can quickly populate a shoreline and pond in just a few years … all a strong gut punch to our ecosystem and its ability to handle natural wildlife sources of bacteria. Allow them to migrate by not feeding the geese and installing a shoreline buffer on your property.

Katie Callahan is director of Clemson University Center for Watershed Excellence and president of the Friends of the Reedy River. Katie has held multiple positions and roles at Clemson University since 2008, all related to water resources outreach and education, program development and implementation, and team building. She holds an B.S. in Marine Science – Chemical and Physical Oceanography and an M.S. in Environmental Science. She has more than 10 years of experience in surface water monitoring, monitoring plan development, and watershed assessment.

Keeping our coast clear
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