Two National Opportunities to Promote the Protection of Groundwater in September

Two national events are taking place during the month of September to help raise public awareness about the importance of protecting groundwater and practicing well water and septic stewardship for the health of the public and the environment.  The “Protect Your Groundwater Day” and “Septic Smart Week” campaigns both provide useful, educational information to share through your web sites, social media, newsletters, news releases, events, and other avenues.  As our colleagues at the National Environmental Services Center (NESC) remind us, groundwater is often out of sight and out of mind for most people.  Here are some interesting Groundwater Facts to share:

• Groundwater makes up 99 percent of all available fresh water in the world and is connected from beneath to most surface water bodies.
• Groundwater supplies much of the water to our country’s more than 40,000 community drinking water systems, especially in small towns and rural areas.
• Groundwater is also the source water supply for 13 million households on private water wells in America.
• Groundwater supplies 53.5 billion gallons of water a day for agriculture.

Protect Your Groundwater Day (September 9): Visit the National Ground Water Association (NGWA) web page for some helpful resources from NGWA to promote this special day.  For questions and to become a promotional partner, please contact Cliff Treyens of NGWA at ctreyens@ngwa.org or 614-898-7791.

• NGWA’s wellowner.orgweb site includes helpful resources and practical information for private well owners about maintaining and testing wells, preventing contamination, and conserving water.
• Water conservation basics, tips and water use calculator
• Protect Your Groundwater Day logo
• Promotional Partners page lists all the Federal, state and local organizations that have said “yes” to being a 2014 PYGWD promotional partner so far (including ASDWA).

Septic Smart Week (September 22-26): Visit EPA’s SepticSmart web page where you will find information and resources on how to care for and properly maintain your septic system, as well as a downloadable logo and a Homeowner outreach toolkit that includes a door hanger, postcards, homeowner’s guides and brochures, and a mail insert.  For more information about septic and decentralized systems, as well as EPA’s Decentralized MOU Partnership and voluntary guidelines for state, tribal, and local officials, go to: http://water.epa.gov/infrastructure/septic/.  For questions, email: decentralized@epa.gov.