No matter where you stand on the planet, you are on a watershed. It is the land area that supplies water to a particular river or lake and ultimately to an ocean.
You don’t have to be dumping sludge into the rivers to damage our local watershed. Our individual, daily decisions all contribute to the damage simply by what we allow to go down the toilet, sink drain, storm drain, and even into your lawn.
These water bodies supply our drinking water, water for agriculture and manufacturing (i.e.: our food), provide habitat to numerous plants and animals, enables us to adapt to the impacts of climate change more easily by cooling the air and absorbing greenhouse gas emissions, and provides natural areas for people to keep active with recreation (like boating, canoeing, etc.).
Meet your Chestermere 2019 Lake and Watershed Advisory Committee
What does the Lake and Watershed Advisory Committee do?
• Attend forums, events and conferences to further attendees’ knowledge surrounding watersheds;
• Provide a presence at Chestermere events to promote awareness;
• Liaise with the community, Mayor/Council;
• Communicate with the community in a variety of ways;
• Provide advice to boating and lake safety initiatives;
• Proactively advocate for the prevention of invasive species in our lake; and
• Organize lake clean up events.
What can I do to help our Watershed?
Roll up your sleeves, put on your boots and get your hands wet and dirty. It is only when you are pulling garbage out of our beautiful lake that you really get an appreciation for what is going on. Here are the top 10 ways you can help our watershed:
• Help keep our water clean. Google ‘25 Amazing ways to prevent water pollution’.
• Dispose of toxic household products properly (i.e.: explosive, corrosive, flammable or poisonous) by taking them to the East Calgary Landfill (3801-68 St. SE, Calgary).
• Conserve water. Don’t leave the tap running, take shorter showers, fix leaks, install a rain barrel, ensure your down spouts drain onto permeable surfaces like grass. Learn how to save $300 a year with water efficient fixtures by visiting www.calgary.ca and searching for ‘Water Conservation.’
• Use eco-friendly cleaning supplies (phosphate free) or vinegar/baking soda. Some soaps/shampoos can’t be removed from the water when treated. This causes an imbalance in the pH of the water and algae then grows where it’s not supposed to, negatively impacting water quality.
• A rain garden can reduce runoff pollution by 99%. Consider growing one on your property, for details visit www.mnn.com
• Don’t use toxic fertilizers or pesticides as their run off goes directly into the storm drain which then flows to creeks, rivers, lakes, etc. There are plenty of organic alternatives to choose from.
• Plant trees/shrubs if you live on a waterway to hold the soil in place (soil is a major contaminant).
• Dispose of pet waste properly (scoop it up and either flush it, throw it in the garbage or compost).
• Keep your septic tank maintained to avoid contaminating groundwater and nearby water bodies.
• Wash your car at a car wash so the water goes through the sewer system and gets treated and doesn’t go into the storm drains.
