Keeping All Waterways Healthy
Contributed by Cherie Northon
Urban creeks and lakes especially need our help to keep them healthy and usable. They are home to a multitude of critters, both above and below the surface, a source of direct and indirect drinking water, and providers of enjoyment for their nature and recreation. Being urban means that they are subject to a variety of effects from both stormwater runoff and high-usage.
How can we all contribute to their well-being, and therefore to ours? Remember this: What’s on the ground, washes down! Because we all live in a watershed, trash, litter, and pollutants that are on the ground will eventually flow into our waterways untreated. Stormwater (rain, snow melt, yard water) pick up anything on the ground (ciggie butts, dog poop, plastic bottles, yard clippings, oil drips, and more!) and flow into the nearest storm drain. These drains convey the pollutant-laden stormwater to the nearest waterway where they discharge untreated stormwater into places where we raft, fish, wade, and more. Is this what you want your kids and pets playing in? Is this what you want our salmon and trout to live in? Is this what you want to raft and kayak in? Probably no.
What can you do? Cleaning up after your pets when out is one of the most important things! Pet waste carries a variety of nasty bacteria and other organisms that can make humans and their pets ill. Dispose of all trash--especially cigarette butts properly. When out, grab a piece of litter and put it in its proper place. In your yard, clean up after your pets regularly and keep grass clippings and yard chemicals from running offsite. Read and use ice melt chemicals according to the directions—less is better, or consider traction sand. Use a car wash (they recycle the water, and it goes to the wastewater treatment plant), or wash your car on grass using minimal water and safe detergents. Maintain your vehicle so it doesn’t leave drips on the ground or road. Organize a local cleanup or join us in our Annual Creek Cleanup which is held every May. When fishing, ALWAYS discard your used fishing line and tackle in the trash so it doesn’t injure wildlife. All these actions will reduce your impact on local waterways and the wildlife who live there.
While the Anchorage Waterways Council focuses on the Municipality, all these suggestions can be applied to wherever you live or work. Water is a precious resource for all of us which is why we must protect it while enjoying it.
Check our website, www.anchoragecreeks.org, for more tips on keeping local waterways clean and healthy.