Dear Readers of The Dirt!
Believe it or not, this week, I have had the amazing opportunity to visit the small town of Bethel, Alaska. Before I left I was not sure if I would be able to publish this issue of The Dirt! But due to the wonders of modern technology even a small Alaskan bush town like Bethel (population approximately 6,000) has internet access. As I look around at the people here and think about what it would take to live here, I am first amazed at the resiliency and bravery of the people who do. But to them, I think, it is just home.
Bethel is a place where it is impossible not to be water conscious. Although there is water that is piped through some parts of the city, it supposedly has a funny color and is said to have a high iron content. Other areas do not even have that. To receive water in your home it is taken from a deep well, treated with chlorine and then delivered by truck on a bi-weekly basis to be transferred into a large insulated holding tank and then filtered before it comes out when you turn on the tap in your sink. After looking up "Bethel" on the EPA website http://www.epa.gov/safewater/dwinfo/ak.htm I learned that various parts of the town's supply have been found to be contaminated with different pollutants ranging from naturally occurring "coliform" bacteria to other chemicals like Benzene, Tetrachloroethylene and Ethylbenzene.
All of these things made me wonder how Bethel's water might compare to a place like Portland which also gets its water from a natural source - the Bull Run watershed. It seems not even in Portland is the water perfectly - well, perfect. A main chemical found in the water in Portland is Arsenic. The EPA goes on to say "Some people who drink water containing arsenic in excess of the Maximum Contaminant Level over many years could experience skin damage or problems with their circulatory system, and may have an increased risk of getting cancer."
On a certain level, these things, while nothing new, may just shed some light on the increased importance of protecting our water supply. What are ways we can do this? Follow the old saying "Garbage in, garbage out." Pay attention to what pollutants we are allowing to enter our watershed. What are the things we throw down the drain? What rolls into our sewer system as runoff from the streets? What are the residual effects of chemicals we use to grow our food? What do we put on our lawns and shrubs?
A great group that is working to increase awareness about pesticides in our midst is our very own Northwest Coalition for Alternative to Pesticides. They have been instrumental in creating several pesticide-free parks around town as well as distributing important information such as found in this brochure: http://www.pesticide.org/OF3.pdf
I am a great believer that knowledge can spur us forward to take positive action to care for the resources most important and vital to life. Water is one of them.
Enjoy this week's Dirt! There are many fabulous ways to gear up and connect to what is happening locally within the environment as we near Earth Day - everything from a village bicycle tour to a livability summit and a children's clean water festival.
Laura B. Nobel
Spreading Roots, Spring Forth