Nonpoint Source Pollution - Prevention
Eight Simple Steps to Clean Water
Clean water starts with you- and me- and all of us. Clean water is important to everyone in Maine. Take a look around your home, your yard, your community, and you'll see many ways you can help clean up our waters. We're all in it together - so here's how to get your feet wet!
First, a word about watersheds. Understanding watersheds is key to helping clean up our water. A watershed is the land area - much like a bowl - in which water is collected. This water then flows by gravity to another body of water such as a stream, lake or ocean. In Maine, we all live in a watershed and we all live downstream.
The culprit - polluted stormwater. Together, Maine's industries and municipalities have done a great job cleaning up industrial pollution, sewer discharges and other major sources of contamination. Now the main polluter of clean water is us. Every time it rains, the rainwater washes off driveways, roofs, parking lots, roads, and other surfaces carrying with it contaminants to our streams, lakes, ocean, and groundwater. Each and every one of us can help, and here's how.
For general information about ways to prevent NPS pollution see "In Our Back Yard articles such as:
- "Clean Water in Our Back Yard and Beyond"
- "We can help clean up the water"
- "Maine Lakes Worth $aving"
- "Certified contractors: pollution prevention insurance"
If you would like to get involved with NPS pollution prevention on a larger scale than just in your own back yard, please visit the programs section.
