(Kansas City, Mo.) – As Drinking Water Week continues, KC Water joins the American Water Works Association in urging the collaboration between water utilities and the public to protect the source of our drinking water.
Kansas City gets its drinking water from the Missouri River so keeping the river and the creeks and streams that feed it is critical.
Stormwater runoff is the number one way pollutants enter our local waterways. As stormwater travels across surfaces, it collects pollutants such as sediment, fertilizers, pesticides, pet waste, oil, de-icing products, yard waste, and litter. Ultimately, these pollutants end up in local streams and rivers.
Below are ways to protect our water.
- Keep storm drains clean. Never dump chemicals or place anything in storm drains (including leaves and grass clippings) as they lead directly to streams and rivers, untreated.
- Apply lawn chemicals sparingly. Rain and excess watering can wash those chemicals down a storm drain.
- Slow it down, spread it out, soak it in. Keeping stormwater onsite is beneficial to plants, the yard, and even a home’s foundation.
- Use a commercial carwash, or wash your car on the lawn. Washing a car in the driveway sends the phosphates in soap, along with contaminants such as road salt, gasoline, and motor oil, into storm drains.
- Pick up after your pet. It keeps the waste from entering storm drains.
- On windy days, cover your recycle bin or weigh it down with heavy recyclables or your trash bags to prevent litter from scattering.
Nutrients from agricultural operations can also wash into streams, rivers and lakes and ultimately impact drinking water supplies for communities downstream and the Gulf of Mexico. AWWA recently produced a whiteboard animation video to illustrate how partnerships between the U.S. Department of Agriculture, water utilities and farmers can be key in protecting drinking water sources.
More information about local water sources is available on DrinkTap.org.
About Drinking Water Week
For more than 40 years, AWWA and its members have celebrated Drinking Water Week, a unique opportunity for both water professionals and the communities they serve to join together in recognizing the vital role water plays in daily lives. Additional information about Drinking Water Week, including free materials for download and celebration ideas, is available on the Drinking Water Week webpage.
For more information, please contact Brooke Givens, Media Relations Coordinator, at brooke.givens@kcmo.org or 816.513.0284.
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KC Water maintains and operates water treatment and distribution systems, stormwater management systems, and wastewater collection and treatment systems for residential and business customers in Kansas City and for wholesale customers in the Kansas City area. KC Water is primarily funded by fees charged to customers based on their use or impacts on the three utility systems.
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