Water and Your World We get our drinking water from Lake Erie. Help protect our most precious natural resource. Water is a precious resource that we need to live. Health officials recommend drinking 64 ounces of water every day. In fact, our bodies are made up of up to 60% water. We use water to wash ourselves, cook our food and clean our homes. We also need water to grow our food, produce energy and support our environment. Climate change is the change in weather over time. Recently, people have been paying attention to climate change because the Earth has warmed by about 1ºF over the past 100 years. This may seem small, but it is having effects all over the world. How does this affect water? The increase in temperature means that ice caps are melting and causing more precipitation. We are having more frequent storms and more severe storms. How does this affect YOU? In Northeast Ohio, we have seen an increase in severe flooding and a decrease in our water quality. Property damage from flooding hurts property owners and poor water quality can cause health problems. When we have extreme weather, the stormwater from both rain and snow washes all of the pollutants on the ground into creeks, rivers and lakes. This means that Lake Erie gets dirt, oil, detergents, pesticides, pet waste and other harmful things dumped into it every time we have a big storm. If we do not protect our water resources, the decrease in water quality will increase the chances of water-borne illnesses and disease. Our public health is directly liked to our water quality! What can YOU do? Maintain yards responsibly: Choose plants that don’t need much water. Consider reducing grassy areas with native plants Use a rain barrel to harvest rain water Plant a rain garden and use water from your downspout to water the garden Use mulch around plants and shrubs to avoid using chemicals for weeds Dispose of waste properly: Reduce, Reuse and RECYCLE! Don’t litter Don’t dump anything in storm drains Don’t burn or bury containers Conserve water: Fix leaky faucets and pipes in your home Install water saving devices Wash only full loads of laundry and dishes Take shorter showers Be Informed: Continue to learn about the importance of clean water and what you can do to make a difference!