EAST STROUDSBURG, MONROE COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — Tuesday is World water day, a time to celebrate and bring awareness to the importance of water around the globe. Eyewitness News spoke to a local watershed association about how the community can help keep our water clean.
Water is one of the world’s most precious and important resources.
Celebrated on Tuesday as World Water Day, the United Nations declared the observance nearly 30 years ago to shine a light on those without access to it.
“There is a limited amount of water on this planet. So how can we conserve? How can we protect our local creeks and streams to protect drinking water for not only ourselves but for our neighbors and for residents in cities further away,” said Michelle Riley, Development Associate, Brodhead Watershed Association.
Michelle Riley is part of the Brodhead Watershed Association, an organization that works to protect the clean and abundant water in the region.
“We need water every day. We need clean and abundant water to continue our recreation that we love in the region but also for our everyday uses of cooking and anything we might need it for,” Riley stated.
The Brodhead Watershed provides drinking water to 13 million people, including major cities like Philadelphia and New York City.
Riley says World Water Day is a great way to help people educate themselves on the importance of keeping watersheds clean.
“Clean-ups are so costly. When pollution happens, the prevention of those pollution events, the prevention of that is a much more feasible strategy,” Riley explained.
She tells Eyewitness News some ways to help the cause is to plant native plants in your area and use a rain barrel to help mitigate pollution from runoff in your community.
Another way to help keep your watershed clean is by conserving water in your own home by watching how much water you actually use.
