Quick Tips for a Clean Water Summer

Welcome to Summer in the Chesapeake Region! After a cool Spring, Summer has finally arrived with heat indexes over 100 in many places around the DMV.

As we embark on summer fun, here are some tips from our staff at Clean Water to stay cool and healthy:

• Carry a reusable metal or glass water bottle and stay hydrated.
• Wear sunscreen, and reapply as recommended!
• Check air quality before spending time outside – local and out of state pollution can degrade our air quality making it unhealthy to do work or exercise outside. Your favorite weather app likely includes the air quality index, or you can find it at airnow.gov.
• During times of extreme heat, your local jurisdiction will likely have cooling centers open for people who do not have air conditioning.
  • And Maryland has a new heat safety standard – if you’re exposed to heat at work, the law now requires you be given access to drinking water and shade, among other things. Learn more about these new worker rights and protections at afscmemd.org/heat.
• Mosquitoes become tenacious during summer, and new tiger mosquitoes are active during a wider range of hours than our native mosquitos (oh no!).
  • Fans, personal bug spray, and light and white long sleeve clothing can keep you feeling comfortable outdoors.
  • Eliminate standing water around your yard – mosquitoes only need as little as a bottle cap of water to breed. If you have standing water (like in open rain barrels), use mosquito dunks to kill mosquito larva.
  • Remember, spraying your yard for mosquitos only provides temporary relief, and it also kills beneficial pollinators and other insects like fireflies.
• While enjoying our streams and rivers can be a great way to have fun and stay cool, avoid swimming or wading for 48 hours after rain. Rainfall can lead to sewage overflows, and it washes pollutants from our yards and paved surfaces into our natural waterways.
• If you have a yard, consider native landscaping to create healthy ecosystems. Many counties offer programs to help defray some costs for conservation landscaping, like Montgomery County’s Rainscapes program and DC’s RiverSmart programs. As a benefit, these practices soak up rainfall and slow runoff into streams and rivers.

We hope these tips can help you have a great summer!