If you have “city water”, your supplier is required to test your water on a regular basis (check your water company website or call for specific information). If you have a private well, it is up to you to have the water tested! It is a good idea to have your water tested on a regular basis to detect any changes in quality. A standard potability test can be performed at many state-certified labs. Additional information can be found in this CT Dept. of Public Health Publication on Private Well Water.

Nobody likes to think about their septic system … but neglect can harm local waters AND result in costly repairs for you. Check out EPA’s Septic Smart resource to learn more about why you should maintain your septic system.

Everyone likes the look af a healthy, lush, and green lawn. Keeping it that way requires a lot of work, and application of fertilizers is generally part of the process. Excessive application of fertilizers, however, is damaging to the environment and can be costly. If you are unsure about proper and effective fertilizer application, this lawn fertilizer factsheet from the CT NEMO Program will provide some valuable insight.

Impervious surfaces prevent rain water from soaking into the ground. Instead, impervious surfaces force rain to run off into the nearest storm drain, collecting pollutants along the way, that go directly into surface water bodies, streams, or combined sewer systems which can cause many problems. If you are interested in reducing impervious surfaces at your home, here are a couple of factsheets from the CT NEMO Program that explain how to do so. Driveways and Rooftops

So you are interested in possibly building a rain garden, but are not sure where to begin? Download the Rain Garden App from the CT NEMO Program website to get started. This free app provides video tutorials, diagrams, text, and tools to help guide you in planning your new rain garden.

The Groundwater 101 webinar, presented by Dr. Gary Robbins and sponsored by the Center for Landuse Education and Research (CLEAR), discusses Connecticut’s groundwater resources – where they are, how much we might have and use, their importance to the health of the environment, and what we need to do to sustain and protect them.

The Road Salt in Connecticut webinar, presented by Dr. Mike Dietz and Lukas McNaboe and sponsored by the Center for Landuse Education and Research (CLEAR), will help you understand the basics of the impacts of road salts, looking specifically at trends in salt use for deicing roads, salt levels in ground and surface waters of the Northeast, impacts of road salt to aquatic life and impacts to groundwater and surface water supplies.