Article: Hazardous waste that gets dumped on the ground contaminates the soil, which in turn can contaminate groundwater or nearby surface water. Don’t ever dump hazardous wastes like motor oil, leftover paint or paint cans, household cleaners, or medicines onto the ground. Check with your local sanitation or trash removal agency about guidelines before putting hazardous wastes into the trash. Many pesticides and fertilizers contain harmful chemicals that contaminate ground water. If you must use pesticides or fertilizers, use them sparingly or check the ingredients to use ones that are made from all-natural ingredients. Or try making your own pesticides out of organic ingredients like neem oil, Epsom salts, or citrus.  Make your own neem oil pesticide by mixing 1 teaspoon (4.9 mL) of neem oil with 1⁄2 teaspoon (2.5 mL) soap and 32 fluid ounces (0.95 L) of warm water. To make an Epsom salt spray, dissolve 8 fluid ounces (0.24 L) into 5 gallons (19 L) of water. Or simply sprinkle Epsom salts around the bases of your plants instead of making a spray. Citrus is especially effective against aphids. To make a citrus spray, grate the rind from 1 lemon and add it to 16 fluid ounces (0.47 L) boiling water. Allow this to steep overnight then strain the liquid from the lemon rinds. Check to see if the plants you grow need a fertilizer to thrive in your garden before automatically using them. Stencil a message next to a storm drain, reminding people not to dump waste into a street drain because that water drains to a river. Use simple images like fish, a faucet with water drops, or a person throwing away trash, and include a simple message like “Protect Your Water” or “Drains Directly To Rivers.”  Get permission to stencil storm drains in your area by contacting your local Department of Public Works. Search your closest city or town along with “Department of Public Works” online to find their phone number and tell them you’re interested in doing a storm drain stenciling project. To create the stencils, draw and cut out your design on a piece of paper, then spray paint the design on or near a storm drain. If you are concerned about clean water shortages in your area, contact your elected officials to voice your water concerns and ask that action is taken. The website at https://www.usa.gov/elected-officials directs you to your state and local elected officials like governors, mayors, and county executives within the U.S.  To contact officials outside of where you live, search the name of the town, for instance “Flint, MI,” along with “ways to help.” For contacting elected officials outside the U.S., conduct a google search on “contacting my elected officials” or “who are my government representatives.” region. The Environmental Protection Agency oversees environmental issues like clean water protection and accessibility within the U.S. Their website has many resources about clean water issues and allows you to ask them questions. You can also find source water protection coordinators in your area and report environmental law violations that may contribute to decreased clean water through their website. Visit https://www.epa.gov/sourcewaterprotection/forms/contact-us-about-source-water-protection for more information on contacting the EPA about clean water protection.
What is a summary of what this article is about?
Use and dispose of harmful materials properly. Use pesticides and fertilizers only when necessary. Organize a storm drain stenciling project. Call your local elected officials with concerns within your area. Contact the EPA to take action in a specific U.S.