The world is such a big place. Our desire to save it must be bigger. Anthropologist Margaret Mead perhaps said it best, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” Gwinnett Clean & Beautiful is actively seeking citizens who wish to have a hand in saving our beautiful, little corner of the world, particularly where our water sources are concerned. 

With Water Quality Month as inspiration, it’s important to remember that water plays a crucial role in our environment. It shapes ecosystems, sustains aquatic habitats, supports biodiversity, affects our climate, is essential for human health, and is critical for sustaining local flora, fauna, and agriculture. Here are just a few ways you can help ensure our water sources remain healthy…

Become Adopt-A-Stream Certified

A joint venture between Gwinnett Clean & Beautiful and the Gwinnett County Department of Water Resources, Adopt-A-Stream is a volunteer water quality program. By attending our chemical, bacterial, and macroinvertebrate water monitoring workshops, you can become Adopt-A-Stream certified.  You can select a waterway near you – a lake, pond, stream, or wetland – for which you will act as a “keeper” – testing the water quality, picking up litter along its banks or shores, and monitoring for changes to the surface appearance, detection of unusual odors, and the overall health of the surrounding ecosystem. In addition to the workshops, we offer supplies to help you succeed. CLICK HERE to learn more and get started!

Achieve Superhero Status as a Stormwater Protector

Stormwater pollution is water from rain, irrigation, garden hoses or other activities that picks up pollutants like cigarette butts, trash, automotive fluids, used oil, paint, fertilizers, pesticides, lawn and garden clippings, pet waste, and more from streets, parking lots, driveways and yards – carrying them through the storm drain system and into our natural water systems. 

Another joint venture between Gwinnett Clean & Beautiful and the Department of Water Resources, our Stormwater Protector program sends volunteers out into local communities to mark storm drains and educate their neighbors. As a Stormwater Protector, you will place medallions that read “NO DUMPING… ONLY RAIN IN THE DRAIN” on catch basins and educational door hangers on front doors in the surrounding area. Door hangers provide residents with important information about non-point source pollution and ways to reduce it on their own property.

Best of all, households that participate in the Stormwater Protector program and provide at least 4 hours of volunteer time to the program are eligible to receive a credit of up to 5% on their stormwater service fees.

Limit Single-Use Plastics

Even if you don’t have the time to devote to our Adopt-A-Stream and Stormwater Protector programs, you can still help protect our local waterways by limiting single-use plastics. Research shows that Americans purchase approximately 50 billion water bottles per year, averaging around 13 bottles per month for every person in the U.S. Water bottles, soda bottles, and plastic bags often make their way into our waterways, where they can harm fish and wildlife. They can also break down over time into tiny toxic particles that contaminate the soil and waterways. They can also contaminate the food chain when fish and animals ingest them.

By committing to limiting single-use plastics in favor of items like reusable water bottles and reusable grocery bags, you’re taking a stance against adding to the problem. You can expand on this concept by encouraging others in your circle to follow your example.

Exercise Caution with What Goes Down Your Drain

Another way you can help by not ADDING to the problem of water pollution is by being careful about what goes down your drain. As excellent and award-winning as our county’s Department of Water Resources is, water treatment facilities were not designed to handle the complex mix of chemicals, plastics, and waste materials we routinely send their way. Items that you should never flush down the toilet or through your kitchen drain include:

• Household hazardous waste like cleaning products, chemicals, pesticides, oil- and latex-based paints, motor oil, and automotive fluids. Gwinnett County hosts two household hazardous waste collection days each year, and our recycling page serves as a valuable resource to learn where you can drop off certain items on the other 364 days of the year.
• Prescription and over-the-counter medications
• Cooking grease and fats
• Coffee grounds and eggshells – although these are ideal for compost bins/piles
• Cat litter and pet waste
• Paper towels, baby wipes, cotton balls, and makeup wipes 

From all of us here at Gwinnett Clean & Beautiful, we thank you for doing your part to keep our water sources clean and beautiful for the benefit of all our neighbors of the two and four-legged/finned/winged variety!