LibGuides: Earth Day: Water Sustainability

Information

National Water Sustainability by Willliam Owens Adequate supplies of water are essential to people, the economy and the environment. Yet the Nation faces an increasing set of water resource challenges. Aging infrastructure, rapid population growth, depletion of groundwater resources, impaired water quality associated with particular land uses and covers, reservoir sedimentation, water needed for human and environmental uses, increased domestic energy development, and climate variability and change all play a role in determining the amount of fresh water available at any given place and time. It is increasingly recognised that water is the primary means through which climate change impacts the earth and people's livelihoods and well being. This book examines the WaterSMART initiative, a program that recognises the U.S. Department of Interior's role in providing Federal leadership in the pursuit of sustainable water supply for people, the economy, and the environment.
ISBN: 1626181039
Publication Date: 2013-01-01

Sustainable Water Infrustructure-EPA
Environmental Protection Agency page on sustainable water infrustruture
Water Conservation at EPA
The U.S. population has doubled over the past 50 years, while our thirst for water has tripled. With at least 40 states anticipating water shortages by 2024, the need to conserve water is critical.

Citizen Science Activities

Adrift
A citizen science project to help scientists better understand the experience of marine microbes
Crowdwater game
Welcome to the CrowdWater game! The aim of the CrowdWater game is to check and if needed improve the quality of water level class measurements from the CrowdWater
Earth Echo Water Challenge
The EarthEcho Water Challenge (formerly World Water Monitoring Challenge) is an international program that runs annually from March 22 (the United Nations World Water Day) through December and equips anyone to protect the water resources we depend on every day. The EarthEcho Water Challenge builds public awareness and involvement in protecting water resources around the world by engaging citizens to conduct basic monitoring of their local waterbodies.

Local Organizations

Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper
"Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper® protects and restores our water and surrounding ecosystems for the benefit of current and future generations. We protect clean water. We restore the health of ecosystems. We connect people to water. We inspire economic growth and community engagement."

National Organizations

US Water Alliance
We are driving a One Water movement—an approach to water stewardship that is innovative, inclusive, and integrated. As a member-supported national nonprofit organization, the Alliance educates the nation about the true value of water and proactively advances policies and programs that manage water resources to advance a better quality of life for everyone.

Things You Can Do at Home

Basic Information about Lead in Drinking Water
Information from the EPA about how to find if there is lead in your water and what to do about it
Create a Rain Garden
Storm water running off rooftops, sidewalks, driveways, and streets washes pollutants into nearby streams. A rain garden can change all that. Planted in a shallow depression with plants such as ferns, cardinal flower, swamp milkweed, turtlehead and others that don't mind occasional "wet feet," a lush and luxuriant rain garden captures runoff from impervious areas and allows it to seep slowly into the ground.
Keep Water Clean NYS Department of Environmental Conservation
New York has 70,000 miles of rivers and streams, 4,000 lakes and ponds, 2.4 million acres of wetlands and extensive aquifers. These abundant resources need our protection to remain clean.
Water Conservartion Tips for Residence
Tips to conserve water from home