WW-05980     Reviewed 2005  

Copyright ©  2002  Regents of the University of Minnesota. All rights reserved.

"The frog does not drink up the pond in which it lives." —Native American proverb

Minnesota has more than 11,482 lakes and 15,000 miles of river! But not all the lakes and rivers are clean today. Water stewardship means caring about our lakes, ponds, and streams. It means picking up tires near the Mississippi or saving wetlands. It means . . . action!

Why Worry About Water?

Turn on a kitchen faucet. What happens? Water pours out of the spigot. Endless water. You could leave, come back thirty minutes later, and water would still be pouring out into the sink (and probably onto the floor). So why worry about water?

Well, consider these facts:

We can't make new water. Water cycles, going around and around in an endless circle. If we pollute water, we have to make it clean again. We can't just throw it away and get more.

Some pollution that ends up in rivers and lakes, like methyl mercury and PCBs (poly-chlorinated bi-phenyls—big word here!), end up in fish. If you eat these fish, you're eating the chemicals, too.

Minnesota has lost almost half of its wetlands over the last century. There are fewer ponds for ducks like goldeneyes and hooded mergansers.

Leftover pollution in a dump or landfill can seep into the ground and eventually into the groundwater supply. This is where many, many people get their water to drink!

Our lakes, ponds, rivers, and streams need you to care about them. But what can you do? You're just a little kid, and the problems seem to be so big! Nahhh. Every single person can make a big difference! You can do two things. You can Clean and Conserve.

How to Help our Lakes, Ponds, and Rivers (Clean)

Okay, you're going to clean up a river. What do you do first? No, don't go to the area. Start at your house!

Household hazardous (say haz-er-dus) waste (pollution) can get into the water supply. Many hazardous wastes have labels that say things like: flammable, caustic, corrosive, caution, danger, toxic, volatile, warning, or poison. DON'T DUMP ANY OF THESE WASTES DOWN THE DRAIN OR TOILET. TELL A PARENT NOT TO DUMP THESE THINGS EITHER. These wastes also shouldn't be dumped into your backyard, where they can seep down into the groundwater. And never, ever, ever pour hazardous waste into the storm sewers or street gutters—that's like pouring them directly into a lake! Yow!

Okay, now that you've prevented pollution, you can start to work on the waste that's already in our waters. You can bust that waste clear out of the lake. You can work with a group—it's great. Here are some ideas:

• Adopt a River (contact the Minnesota Clean Rivers Project, address at end).
• Monitor a lake's water quality (contact MinnAqua, address at end).
• Pick up litter. Bring lots of garbage bags and friends.
• Plant bushes and trees near the shore of lakes to help keep the soil in place.
  Remember to ask permission from the owner or the city/county that owns the lake.
• Improve the habitat by building wood duck houses and nesting platforms for ducks and geese.
• Put a wetland back together (contact 4-H and MinnAqua, address at end).
• Teach other people about water pollution (contact MinnAqua, address at end).
• Test wells in your community to find out if there is any coliform or nitrates present (contact 4-H, address at end).

See! There's a lot you can do!

How to Use Less Water (Conserve)

Are you a water hog? Do you leave the water running from the faucet when you brush your teeth? Do you take a forty minute shower (maybe your sister does!)? Do you water the sidewalk because you never got around to moving the sprinkler to the right place?

Look below to see how many gallons of water it takes to do things in your house or apartment.

Shower/Bath - uses 330 to 660 soda-pop cans of water
Brushing Teeth - uses 22 soda-pop cans each time
Flushing Toilet - 55 to 66 soda-pop cans each flush
Hand Washing - uses 22 soda-pop cans each time

Six Easy Ways to Save Water

1. Turn off the water when brushing your teeth or when you put soap on your hands!
2. Take short showers and shallow baths!
3. Be careful to only water the lawn or garden, not the sidewalk or street!
4. Water the lawn or garden in the early morning, so that plants soak up the water better!
5. Ask your parents to do a few simple things, like fixing leaky faucets and placing low-flow devices on the faucets.
   Another way to use less water is to put a weighted plastic bottle in the toilet tank.
6. Use only small squirt guns (just kidding!).

The Big Picture

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Earth's Water Supply

How to be a Water Steward

Contact:

• Minnesota Extension Service
  MinnAqua Program
  340 Coffey Hall
  1420 Eckles Avenue
  St. Paul, MN 55108
  (612) 625-4774

or call your local County Extension Office for information about 4-H environmental programs.

MN Clean Rivers Project/Adopt a River Ask for their "How To Kit" Minnesota Clean Rivers Project 500 Lafayette Road St. Paul, MN 55155-4052 (612) 296-4822 Toll-free at 1-800-766-6000 (ask for Trails and Waterways). Citizen Lake-Monitoring Program (CLMP) Minnesota Pollution Control Agency 520 Lafayette Road St. Paul, MN 55155 (612) 296-6300 Toll-free at 1-800-652-9747 (ask for MPCA).

Ducks Unlimited Ducks Unlimited of Minnesota 10400 East Bren Road Minnetonka, MN (612) 933-3748 The Science Museum of Minnesota H2O Minnesota 30 East 10th Street St. Paul, MN 55101 (612) 221-9444 or Toll-free at 1-800-221-9444.

Jeanne Rasmussen and Mary Kroll
4-H Youth Development

Funding provided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Extension Service, under project number 91-EWQI-9265.

Produced by Communication and Educational Technology Services, University of Minnesota Extension.

In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, this material is available in alternative formats upon request. Please contact your University of Minnesota Extension office or the Extension Store at (800) 876-8636.