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Ways to Protect our Drinking Water CAW Commission Resolutions 1998 CAW Commission Resolutions 2003 Water Quality Assessment Lakes Maumelle and Winnona 1991-2003 Analysis - Lake Maumelle 1991-1992 Water Quality Assessment Lakes Maumelle and Winona May 1989- October 1992 Arkansas Department of Pollution Control and Ecology Report The Benham Group Report News Articles and Letters to the Editors Pulaski County Quorum Court Resolution

Ways to Protect Our Drinking Water

Home or Property Care

  • Do not litter your property or other property (private or public). Always place garbage in the trash for pickup or proper disposal.
  • Before starting an outdoor project, locate the nearest stream or tributary and protect it from debris, such as concrete, dirt, or other building materials.
  • Sweep up and properly dispose of construction debris, such as concrete and mortar.
  • Use hazardous substances, such as paint, solvents, and cleaners, in the smallest amounts possible and follow the directions on the label.
  • Immediately clean up spills, safely dispose of the waste, and dispose of the empty containers, as directed by environmental regulations. Store substances properly to avoid spills and leaks and do not dump the empty containers on your own property or other property.
  • Do not pour chemicals (oil, grease, fertilizers, pesticides, paints, etc.) on your property or in streams and creeks.
  • Plant lots of trees, shrubs, and other plants. Vegetation helps to absorb substances in the water. Consider directing downspouts away from paved areas and other measures to increase infiltration and reduce polluted runoff.
  • Follow the same rules, if you operate a commercial business within the watershed.

Land Development/Construction/Forestry/Farming

Lawn and Garden Care

  • Use pesticides and fertilizers sparingly or not at all, if possible. When use is necessary, apply only recommended and environmentally-responsible amounts. Avoid application when the forecast calls for rain to prevent chemicals from washing into tributaries to the lake.
  • Select native plants and grasses that are drought- and pest-resistant. Native plants require less water, fertilizer, and pesticides. Use mulch or safer pest-control methods, if possible.
  • Sweep up yard debris rather than hosing down an area or leaving it in the street. Compost or recycle. Otherwise, put it in the trash for pickup.
  • Don't overwater your lawn. Water during cool times of the day to maximum the usage of the irrigation and do not let water run off into streams or creeks. Also, consider using a soaker hose instead of a sprinkler.
  • Cover piles of dirt or mulch being used in landscaping projects to prevent the materials from turning into pollutants from flowing or washing off your yard and into the lake's tributaries or the lake, itself. Vegetate bare spots to prevent soil erosion.

Septic Systems and Wastewater

  • Leaking and other poorly working septic systems release nutrients
    (phosphorous) and pathogens (bacteria and viruses) that become a part of stormwater runoff and discharge into the lake. Pathogens can cause public health problems and environmental concerns.
  • Inspect your system every three years and pump your tank, as necessary (every three to five years).
  • Do not dispose of hazardous household waste in sinks or toilets.

Pet Care

  • Pet waste is a major source of bacteria and excess nutrients that end up in the tributaries of a lake or in the lake, itself. Pick up your pet's waste and properly dispose of it. Leaving pet waste on the ground, when walking your pet or on your property, increases public health risks by allowing harmful bacteria and nutrients to enter the lake.

Auto and Boat Care

  • Use a commercial car wash or wash your car on a lawn or other unpaved surface to minimize the amount of dirty or soapy water that eventually runs off your property and ends up in the lake.
  • Check your vehicle, boat, motorcycle, or other machinery for fluid leaks and spills. Clean up spills with an absorbent material, such as kitty litter or sand and don't rinse the spills into a nearby stream or creek.
  • Recycle oil and other automobile fluids at participating service stations.
  • Do not dump the chemicals on the ground or in a nearby stream or creek.

Recreation

  • Follow the Rules and Regulations governing recreational activity within the lake's watershed and on the lake.
  • Fishing, canoeing, and picnicking are allowed in designated areas.
  • Camping, cooking, swimming, diving, jet-skiing and other body-contact water sports, the setting of fires, littering, trash dumping, the destruction of property, brush-cutting, fish habitat enhancement, and the emptying of boat toilets into the lake are among prohibited activities.