The 2022 Environmental Crisis: Water Pollution
How do we clean our water?
Water pollution is an environmental crisis around the world, especially in New York Harbor. Earlier this year it was reported that on any given day there was a 50% chance that sewage and trash from the city made it unsafe to touch water along any shoreline around New York City. What’s even more shocking is that nearly 20 billion gallons of untreated raw sewage and runoff bypass our sewage treatment plants and get dumped into the water around the five boroughs.
Sustainability & Wellness: The New Mission
Not only is pollution affecting our harbor but it’s also affecting our quality of life. With raw sewage making the beaches and shorelines unsafe, unsanitary conditions have become expected for the local population and tourists too.
HYDR8 is a New York based water filtration company with a mission to promote optimal sustainability and wellness in the tri-state area. They recently did a deep dive and created a report detailing what is actually in New York tap water and where it comes from.
Thankfully, we’re not alone in our efforts as the city’s Department of Environmental Protection is also working diligently to ensure we can keep New York Harbor and our other waterways clean and free of trash or sewage. Here’s how you can do your part!
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Recycle
Recycling plastics, oils, paints, batteries, and other household or business items is just one way you can do your part in cleaning up New York Harbor and keeping the shorelines clean. While the city and the state do what they can to protect our drinking water from raw sewage, you can help prevent these larger trash items from getting into storm drains, rivers, and landfills.
One of the biggest culprits of ocean and river pollution is plastic. Whether it be plastic water bottles, straws, caps, grocery sacks, or six-pack rings, recycling these materials ensures that they don’t make their way into our harbor or the ocean.
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Pick Up Trash
There are a variety of organizations that you can join throughout New York City to help clean up our streets and keep trash and pollution from reaching New York Harbor. Some of these groups even venture out during organized events to clean up debris along the beaches and shorelines. All of these organizations are full of like-minded volunteers who want to keep New York City clean.
Some organizations work with the New York State Pollution Prevention Institute that go around stenciling storm drains on the pavement to let authorities know where a neighborhood could benefit. The RiverKeeper project’s primary mission? To reduce marine debris! Storm runoff is one of the biggest culprits for pollution in the harbor. NYC’s drainage systems often become overwhelmed with just a quarter-inch of rain, forcing most of the trash and runoff into the surrounding waterways.
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Educate Yourself
Education about water doesn’t just have to be about your drinking water. In fact, without all of these other water sources, HYDR8 wouldn’t have tap water to filter for your home or business. New York City has one of the largest water treatment systems, pulling water from several different watersheds. Without the help from the community and the surrounding areas, these watersheds could quickly become polluted, making clean drinking water even more difficult for those that don’t have water filtration systems.
Experts recommend avoiding cosmetics and beauty care products with microbeads, using reusable shopping bags, and encouraging your local businesses to reduce their waste. Once you educate yourself about the impacts of litter around our city, you can also help spread the word to friends and family. Reducing, reusing, and recycling are always the best ways to impact the water pollution of New York Harbor positively.
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Go Green & Go Clean!
The past few years have been interesting for various reasons, but our reliance on clean drinking water in the workplace and at home is constant. HYDR8 wants to be part of your mission to reduce plastic and water waste while fighting the effects of water pollution in New York Harbor. We’re encouraging everyone to go green and go clean. To learn more about our water filtration units and hands-free foot pedal, call us at (718) 313-0113.
Sources:
https://www.nrdc.org/experts/larry-levine/nycs-new-plan-would-let-massive-sewage-overflows-continue
https://www.rit.edu/affiliate/nysp2i/
https://www.riverkeeper.org/blogs/docket/brooklyn-stenciling-project-aims-reduce-marine-debris/
