Clean Water Tips for the Holidays

As the Holiday season quickly approaches, we find ourselves wrapped up in tradition once again – decorations, family, gifts, and perhaps most importantly of all, food.  When preparing your holiday meals this year, you can do your part for clean water in two important ways:

Take the Fair Farms Pledge!

The Chesapeake Bay and its vast network of streams and rivers are under siege from pollution, and agriculture is the single largest source of pollution impacting the Bay.  Fair Farms Maryland engages consumers and farmers in efforts that promote sustainable farming practices to rein in manure and other sources of farm pollution.  By taking the Fair Farms Pledge, you can let regional farmers know that clean water is important to you when making choices about where your food comes from.

Toss it in the Trash, Not Down the Drain!

Whether you’re frying up potato latkes or roasting a turkey for the holidays, remember to dispose of your leftover fat, oil, and grease properly:  Toss it in the Trash, Not Down the Drain!  Fats, oils, and grease (or FOG’s for short) can quickly build up and cause blockages in your pipes.  The FOG’s stick to toilet paper and anything else that gets flushed down the drain, leading to huge “grease balls” that will block the sewer lines.  Once the pipes are blocked, sewage backs up into your house and into our streams.  Instead of pouring used FOG’s down the drain, let them cool to room temperature and then pour into a can that can be thrown away with your household trash.

The result of fats, oils, and grease in our pipes