Potable (safe to drink) water is essential for all forms of life on earth. In order to be responsible citizens of the world, it should be our goal to ensure that the available water supply remains intact and uncontaminated so that life as we know it can continue to flourish. Fortunately, the costs of achieving this goal are small in terms of finance and effort. This goal has two parts; conservation and quality maintenance.

Protecting Water Quality
As important as it is, water conservation is just one part of water stewardship. The other, equally important part is keeping our natural water supplies clean. An inexhaustible water supply wouldn't do anyone any good if it is all contaminated. Water pollution can occur in two forms; Point Sources and Non-Point Sources. Point source pollution, also known as pipe pollution, is the pollution added directly into the environment from factories, farms, sewage treatment plants, and other waste producing businesses. Non-Point source (NPS) pollution comes from many diffuse sources. NPS occurs when rain or snowmelt moves over and through the ground. As the runoff moves, it picks up and carries pollution. This pollution includes fertilizer from yards and fields, litter from streets, oil and antifreeze from parking lots, and other sources of natural and human-made pollutants. The polluted runoff is deposited into lakes, rivers, and streams, and can also soak into the ground to pollute underground water supplies.

Non-Point Source Pollutants include:
Excess fertilizers, herbicides, and insecticides from agricultural lands and residential areas;

Oil, grease, and toxic chemicals from urban runoff and energy production;

Sediment from improperly managed construction sites, crop and forest lands, and eroding stream banks;

Salt from irrigation practices and acid drainage from abandoned mines;

Bacteria and nutrients from livestock, pet wastes, and faulty septic systems;


Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency: http://www.epa.gov/owow/nps/qa.html