Dry Creek Bed in August
Like air, it behooves us all to know the state of our water. Back in February, I asked you to get to know your watershed - a region of land in which the water drains into a particular body of water, and eventually into an ocean or sea. You were to map it and walk part of it. We also talked about the healing aspects of being near water, called “blue mind.”
A healthy place needs clean air and clean water. Just ask the people of Jackson, Mississippi. For this week, let’s look at the quality of the water where you live and how it’s being affected by a changing climate. Water quality affects every living thing.
Here are some of the benefits of a healthy watershed.
Provides safe drinking water for humans and animals
Provides clean water for growing food, industrial processes, and home cleaning
Water bodies cool the air and absorb greenhouse gases, enabling us to adapt to a changing climate
Water bodies provide natural areas for people to keep active as well as rest
Water bodies provide habitat for aquatic wildlife and plants
Rain conserves water, promotes streamflow, supports streams, rivers, lakes, and groundwater sources
Contributes to healthy soil for crops and livestock
Can produce energy
Forests and wetlands help prevent flooding and manage drought
Source: Watershed Checkup
What is the quality of the water that you drink and use everyday?
I found a 2018 watershed report for Niagara and it showed grades of B for groundwater quality, D for surface water quality, D for forest conditions, and B for wetland cover. For my particular One Mile Creek watershed, the scores were F for surface water quality, forest conditions, and wetland cover. Yikes! Much of these poor grades are due to contaminants and development.
My watershed drains into Lake Ontario, a huge body of freshwater. I found a current report on the state of the Great Lakes. This took me down a bit of a rabbit hole about the history of the Great Lakes, which I won’t share here, except to say that since the lakes are generally shared between the U.S. and Canada, there has been a joint commission around water quality since 1909 and in 1972 The Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement was signed. This year marks 50 years of that agreement and it has contributed to a significant improvement in the quality of the Lakes, especially around toxic contaminants.
As for Lake Ontario, in 1972 it had serious issues from nutrient pollution, especially in areas with a large industrial presence. Today, treated drinking water is good, there are fewer beach closings due to contaminants, and the presence of mercury and PCBs in fish have significantly decreased.
The volume of ship traffic, however, has increased the introduction of invasive species to the lake, especially zebra and quagga mussels, which grow rapidly and block drainage pipes and choke out native species. They also cause an increase in harmful algae such as Cladophora.
Rapid urban growth around the lake has affected shorelines, wetlands, and habitat connectivity (or lack of it), as well as the quality of the groundwater.
How is your water affected by a changing climate?
This past month where I live, we’ve been experiencing a pretty severe drought (common in August) and I can see the effect on the trees and other plants. In an agricultural area such as mine, lack of water in the form of rain has serious repercussions.
Over a longer period, changing temperatures are affecting the Great Lakes. Surface water temperatures are increasing and ice cover is decreasing, which affects ecosystems.
Practice
For this week, pay particular attention to the water of your place. How clean does it look and smell? What can you learn about the water quality of your place and what’s being done to keep it healthy? Sign up for an email list for a local organization to keep updated or get directly involved.
If you have clean water available for drinking, cleaning, growing things, and recreation, be grateful!
How does just the presence of water enhance your experience of your place?
Here’s a list of 10 things you can do to help keep your watershed healthy.
What are you doing to conserve water and to keep it healthy? This year, we bought a rain barrel to conserve water and we limit use of pesticides and road salt.
Resources
Blue Mind book by Wallace J Nichols