Protecting our Drinking Water Supply
- Learn about groundwater and your water source.
- Participate in watershed clean-up activities.
- Reduce the amount of fertilizers, pesticides, or other hazardous chemicals that you use. Buy only what you need so that you don't have to dispose of leftovers. Read all the labels and follow directions.
- Plug abandoned wells on your property as these old wells provide a direct route for surface contamination to reach ground water supplies. Contact a licensed well driller for assistance.
- If you have a septic system, have it inspected and serviced every three years.
- Implement best management practices at your farm for pesticides, fertilizers, fuels and oils.
- Check your car, boat, motorcycle and other machinery for leaks and spills. Collect leaks with a drip pan until repairs can be made. Clean up spills by absorbing the spill. Do not rinse with water or allow it to soak into the ground.
- Reduce the use of products that contain any of the following words on their labels: caution, warning, danger, poison, flammable, volatile, caustic or corrosive.
- Recycle used oil, automotive fluids, batteries, household hazardous wastes and other products. Do not dispose of hazardous products in toilets, storm drains, wastewater systems, creeks, alleys or the ground. These actions pollute the water supply. Refer to the Indianapolis Household Hazardous Waste Drop-Off for contacts and recycling information.