It's Water-Wise Wednesdays with Frannie the Fish! {Protect Your Groundwater Day 2019}

Yesterday was Protect Your Groundwater Day! Everyday, we use water for cooking, drinking, cleaning, and more. Fish like Frannie call the water home.

But did you know that the groundwater we drink can be at risk for pollution and overuse? Even though Protect Your Groundwater Day is over this year, there are still many things we can do to help keep our water clean and make sure there's plenty of it for the future. Frannie wants to share an activity that will help you celebrate every day like Protect Your Groundwater Day.

You only need 2 things: a writing utensil and something you can write on!

Here's what to do:

1. Look around your home, school, or neighborhood for ways you can help save water and ways groundwater pollution can be prevented.

2. Make a checklist of all the ways you and your family can help protect groundwater. Check out the example checklist below to get started!

• Use fertilizer according to package directions.
• Take back leftover, unused, and expired medications to a pharmacy participating in the Nebraska MEDS project.
• Reduce, reuse, and recycle!
• Take hazardous waste to places where it can be properly disposed.
• Shut water off while brushing your teeth.
• Only run full loads of dishes and laundry.
• Check for leaky faucets and have them fixed.
• Water the lawn during cooler hours of day and only when the grass needs water.
• Sweep your sidewalks and driveways rather than rinsing them with water.
• Take a shower instead of a bath.
• Take short showers and use an aerator or low-flow shower head.
• Take motor oil and other household hazardous waste to a recycling or collection center.
• Use environmentally-friendly cleaners.

You can download the free water-tracking app for
Android and Apple, 30by30, to track your water use and learn even more ways you can help conserve water.

3. After you decide what activities you can do to help protect groundwater, take the groundwater pledge:

"I believe clean water is important to all things. I pledge to:

Be aware of activities that can be harmful to groundwater.

Do my part to help protect groundwater and all natural resources.

Make an effort to educate myself and others about water and ways that we can make a difference.

Let's keep it clean!"

Now share the checklists you and your friends made with us on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram!