Tips for World Water Day (March 22)

PASADENA WATER AND POWER OFFERS TIPS FOR WORLD WATER DAY

Today, March 22, is International World Water Day, recognized annually by the City of Pasadena through a standing proclamation.

First designated by the United Nations General Assembly in 1993, the yearly event focuses world attention on the importance of freshwater and advocates for the sustainable management of freshwater resources. The theme for this year’s World Water Day is “Clean Water for a Healthy World.”

“[‘Clean Water for a Healthy World’] emphasizes that both the quality and the quantity of water resources are at risk,” said U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. “More people die of from unsafe water than from all forms of violence, including war. These deaths are an affront to our common humanity and undermine the efforts of many countries to achieve their development potential.”

While safe drinking water is not in short supply in Pasadena thanks to public investment in reliable infrastructure and quality assurance, local and regional waterways are vulnerable to pollution and contamination due to excessive water runoff and improper waste disposal.

In observance of World Water Day 2010, Pasadena Water and Power (PWP) offers the following tips for protecting water quality and supply for our community and the world:

* Decrease runoff from landscaping, which carries pollutants into waterways, by fixing broken sprinklers, cutting back on your irrigation schedule, and planting water-wise species.

* Pick up after your pet. Pet waste is raw sewage.

* Sweep – don’t hose down – driveways, sidewalks, gutters and patios.

* Use fertilizers sparingly and avoid harmful pesticides.

* Recycle used motor oil and dispose of household chemicals properly at collection sites for hazardous materials.

* Give up the water bottle habit and buy a reusable bottle instead. Plastic bottles are prominent pollutants in waterways and are extremely energy-intensive to produce.

* Volunteer to clean up the Arroyo Seco with The Great LA River Cleanup at www.folar.org.

* Ask your favorite local restaurants to participate in the UNICEF Tap Project, which raises funds for clean drinking water worldwide by asking restaurant patrons to donate $1 for the glass of tap water they ordinarily receive for free. Visit www.tapproject.org for more information about the project.

* Replace water-hog fixtures, equipment and appliances with water-efficient models, and receive rebates from PWP. (Rebates on high-efficiency washers just increased to $200.)

* Sign up to attend PWP’s free “H2O Academy” Saturday, April 3, for expert instruction on household and landscape water management and conservation.

For more information visit and www.UNwater.org/worldwaterday or call (626) 744-6970.




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