August is National Water Quality Awareness Month

Did you know August is National Water Quality Awareness Month? It’s only tting the month we are active outdoors, splashing in swimming pools, or oating down a river, is a month dedicated to bringing awareness to the quality of one of our most precious resources: water.

org/waterquality.

Nick Marusin

Centennial Water & Sanitation District, the water and wastewater provider for Highlands Ranch and Solstice, serves as stewards of the community’s water. is not only includes the water that comes out of your tap at home, but the water you encounter while playing outdoors.

I’m part of the team at Centennial Water that helps safeguard our drinking water and makes sure it always meets EPA and Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment water quality standards. I am the Laboratory Supervisor and together with sta across the district, our job is to ensure customers can cool o in a pool or nearby stream whenever they want, or refresh with an ice cold glass of water after their workout.

If you’re enjoying your morning co ee while reading this column, that means we’ve done our job; we’ve delivered reliable, quality drinking water to our customers.

Centennial Water, along with all water utilities across the country, are required to publish a Consumer Con dence Report each year. is report summarizes information about the district’s water sources, any detected contaminants in the drinking water as well as educational information about your water supply. You can view the 2023 report on our website at centennialwater.

Along with the job Centennial Water does day in and day out, every household, every customer plays a role when it comes to water quality. Here are four things people can do to help protect our water quality: Pick up after your pet. When not picked up, pet waste contaminates stormwater and contributes to pollution in our waterways.

Use phosphorous-free fertilizer. Fertilizers that contain phosphorous can harm the environment. An over-abundance of phosphorous in our lakes and streams can cause harmful algae blooms. ese blooms can create taste and odor problems in our drinking water and can cause sh kills.

Go to a car wash. Professional car washes not only use less water than washing your car at home, but it prevents toxic chemicals from being ushed down storm drains which empties into lakes, rivers and streams.

Properly dispose of prescription and over-the-counter medications. Medications contain toxic chemicals that should not be ushed down the drain. You can safely dispose of prescription and over-the-counter medications by using a secure collection box. You can nd one at the Douglas County Sheri ’s O ce Highlands Ranch Substation, 9250 Zotos Drive, Highlands Ranch.

If you want to learn more about your water quality, visit the water quality page on the Centennial Water website at centennialwater.org/ waterquality, or you can contact me by sending an email to info@centennialwater.org. ank you for taking an interest in our local water supply.

Nick Marusin is the labratory supervisor for the Centennial Water & Sanitation District.

habitat along with a list of plant forage based on season.

and hummingbirds, however, bees pollinate about one-third of our food. Without the honeybee, food like almonds, apples and onions would be lost.

In addition, honeybees contribute over $15 billion to the value of U.S. crop production, according to e Bee Conservancy.

e Bee Conservancy states habitat loss, climate change, chemical pesticides, invasive plant species and disease and parasites are the primary threats to pollinators.

Just like other animals and humans, pollinators also need a habitat in order to thrive. e Colorado State University Extension program provides ways to design a pollinator rough observation hives, books for kids and a variety of displays, local beekeepers and beekeeping organizations will be showing families how beehives work and what the community can do to help the state’s native bees.

“It’s great to see families that are learning together,” said Glassburn.

From Highlands Ranch Honey to Homestead in the Hood to Natural Grocers, guests will have the chance to purchase di erent types of honey, beeswax, candles and more from the 20 plus vendors.

Each vendor will have an interactive educational experience that focuses on pollinators such as learning how to make a bee hotel, spot the queen bee game and learn from master gardeners about landscapes and upcycling.