My previous posts on water focused primarily on rain fall and the destinations where your rain ends up. I started here because the Upper Midwest received plenty of rain this year, and flooding has become a recurring problem. The last year with significant drought in Wisconsin that I can recall was 2012; however other parts of the country have had repeated years of significant drought in the past decade.
Conservation in the United States started as a movement intended to direct the smart and efficient use of natural resources. Managing them in such a way that they'd be there for the use of future generations. Freshwater is a natural resource in limited supply and a tricky one to own. Rivers may flow through many states, or lakes may border many municipalities so there is always some politicking involved.
Water politics and management should be of great interest to folks living in drought prone areas like the Southwest but also to city dwellers as many large cities draw their water supply from where beyond their local borders.
Step 1: Everyone should know where their municipal water comes from. This should fall into the bucket of google it.
Step 2: Be a good steward; the hard part. This isn't so much about paying attention to your meter and paying your bill on a regular basis. (Note - Both are good things to do.) It's more about are you smart about how you are using your water?
One of the simplest ways to reduce wasted water is to avoid using it on your lawn and garden. There are some simple things to keep in mind for lawn water usage:
1) What's the climate where you live? Should you even try to grow turf grass there? Regardless of whatever the local lawn guy or hardware store is selling, the fact is turf grass just isn't meant to grow everywhere. You may need to look at working with other types of ground cover or limiting how much lawn you intend to have.
2) What plants are native to where I live? This is a good one, if you decided to put in a tree or shrub or flowers that are native to somewhere else (perhaps more tropical) than where you live; you may need to do more watering. Different kinds of plants have different watering needs. The good news about native plants is that they are adapted to handle whatever precipitation typically falls where you live. In my experience, I typically only need to water my flower beds and trees in the 1st year to get them established (and only if there isn't consistent rain).
3) If you aren't watering your turf grass (or you haven't planted any turf grass), and you are working with native plants for your trees, shrubs, and flowers; the other way to eliminate waste is to be clever about where your water comes from. I'll plug rain barrels here again. They can effectively capture some rain fall to use later on if you go through a dry spell. I've found I can often use rain barrel water captured in April / May in June or July. (Not this year, it's been raining all the time, so there's no need.) Another method used in places that have had significant struggles with water supply is to capture and reuse gray water (such as from a shower or bath) to be used to water your plants.
4) Beyond monitoring your outdoor use, paying attention to indoor use, in particular leaky pipes or running toilets are good things to mend to make sure that you are making efficient use of your water. Many things have been suggested over the years such as bathe less and when you do choose to shower, install a water saving shower head, turn off the faucet while brushing your teeth, and there are a variety of options around toileting including flush less often, dual flush toilets, displacing water in your tank to reduce volume, and a whole variety of things you can find online.
None of these methods will prevent major droughts but they should help you save money on your water bill (and who doesn't like a little extra cash in their pocket?) as well as conserve some of the freshwater in your towns reservoir, aquifer or whatever type of source it is. As cities continue to grow and populations may grow faster than the freshwater capacity can keep pace, it's important for everyone to be good stewards of the local water supply.
Sunday, September 22, 2019
Saturday, September 21, 2019
Everyone as Conservationist - Where the River Ends
The Mississippi River starts in one of the 10,000 lakes of Minnesota. Lake Itasca is one many lakes which speckle the maps of Wisconsin and Minnesota. Other lakes in the Upper Midwest are larger (Lake Winnebago), deeper (Green Lake), but this small glacial lake marks the start of the 4th largest watershed in the world with water from 32 states draining into it.
The Mississippi runs from the North of the Continental 48 States and flows to it's South, emptying into the Gulf of Mexico. It practically splits the nation in two. It starts like many other less remarkable rivers and streams in Minnesota and Wisconsin and grows into a behemoth as other mighty rivers flow into it. Waters from the west flow into the Missouri, crossing the plains states and spilling into the Mississippi's muddy water carrying with them dirt and debris from as far away as Montana. The Ohio River runs southwest out of Pennsylvania and converges with the Mississippi just south of Illinois carrying with it any pollutants it snagged along Ohio, West Virginia, Indiana and Kentucky.
In short, most of the rain which falls or toilets which are flushed between the Rocky Mountains and the Appalachian Mountains eventually flow into the Mighty Mississippi.
For a whole lot of Americans, no matter which watershed you live in, you are ultimately tied to the Mississippi River which means you are also tied to the Gulf of Mexico.
In the previous post, I touched on localized flashed floods within our own watersheds and what actions property owners can take to help reduce flash flooding. All of these same methods apply when talking about recurrent flooding as seen along rivers like the Mississippi.
And this makes sense. If reducing localized flooding takes everyone in a neighborhood making different choices to prevent local floods; then it also means every watershed needs to make better choices to prevent rivers flooding downstream. Rivers experiencing recurring hundred year floods is at the very least just the downstream net effect of many watersheds struggling with flash flooding. In other words if a million watershed eventually empty into the Mississippi, and million watersheds are struggling with flooding then naturally the Mississippi is also struggling with flooding.
The impact of recurring flooding is felt most heavily by river communities like those in Western Wisconsin.
Beyond recurring flooding, the Mississippi is also emptying into an increasingly growing dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico. Similar to the toxic algae blooms we experience in the lakes in our local watersheds, the dead zone is conceptually similar on a grander scale.
In our lakes, nutrient-rich waters, largely full of fertilizers from agricultural or lawn application which run off into the watershed, feed the local algae blooms. Now imagine collecting run off from across the Great Plains, the Midwest, and the South and funneling it all into a single river which flushes into the ocean at the Gulf of Mexico.
In the gulf when the algae blooms die off and are broken down by bacteria, oxygen in the gulf is depleted. Aquarium owners know the importance of keeping your tank oxygenated so that your fish can breath (and may even install bubblers when necessary). The same concept is true of fish in the ocean; without enough oxygen in the water life can't survive. No little fish to eat, means no big fish, and no big fish means no other stuff like sharks, whales, dolphins or even sea-faring birds.
The Gulf of Mexico and the Mississippi River are a clear and present example of how our behaviors (even those which may seems small like fertilizing your lawn) can be compounded in nature. This case holds true even with other watersheds which don't flow into the Mississippi because all water eventually flows into a greater body of water be that the Great Lakes, the Chesapeake Bay, the Bay of Fundy, or the Long Island Sound. Chemicals, pollutants, nutrients and debris are carried by water from small bodies to larger.
The good news is that means the actions discussed in the previous post hold true as good ways to help our planet. But it also means that there are larger and other solutions which must also be considered.
First and foremost, nutrients must be contained. The easiest solution for property owners: avoid using fertilizers and clean up after your pets. Keeping yard waste like grass clippings and fallen leaves out the storm water gutters (and therefore out of the watershed) also helps reduce the amount of nutrients entering the rivers.
Agricultural production must also find ways to reduce the amount fertilizer used and find ways to keep it and animal waste contained. Containment of nutrients can be approached in a few different ways beneficial to rivers. As in the previous post, the key is water infiltration. Buffer zones at the edges of fields, property lines, and along streams help contain nutrients and other pollutants. These buffers function like wetlands. When filled with deep rooted native plants, the buffers are both an effective erosion control and can also filter and use pollutants and nutrients keeping water clean. These areas are known as Riparian Buffers.
To repeat a previous theme. Restoring and protecting natural wetlands is the best method. Natural wetlands are the most effective buffer zones. Wetlands slow the flow of water allowing sediment and pollutants to drop out, clarifying the water. Wetlands are also capable of breaking down nitrogen fertilizers to remove them from the watershed altogether.
In short, you and I and everyone are capable of saving the oceans (Pause for a second because that's a powerful thought!):
Minke Whale in the Bay of Fundy
By: 1) Avoiding fertilizers
2) Cleaning up after our pets
3) Keeping yard waste out of the storm sewers
4) Containing nutrients on site by using native plants as buffers
5) Keeping buffer zones along streams, ponds, rivers, and lakes intact
6) And protecting and restoring natural wetlands.
Salt Marsh preserve at Irviing Park near St. John, NB
Horicon Marsh National Wildlife Refuge, Waupun, WI
The Mississippi runs from the North of the Continental 48 States and flows to it's South, emptying into the Gulf of Mexico. It practically splits the nation in two. It starts like many other less remarkable rivers and streams in Minnesota and Wisconsin and grows into a behemoth as other mighty rivers flow into it. Waters from the west flow into the Missouri, crossing the plains states and spilling into the Mississippi's muddy water carrying with them dirt and debris from as far away as Montana. The Ohio River runs southwest out of Pennsylvania and converges with the Mississippi just south of Illinois carrying with it any pollutants it snagged along Ohio, West Virginia, Indiana and Kentucky.
In short, most of the rain which falls or toilets which are flushed between the Rocky Mountains and the Appalachian Mountains eventually flow into the Mighty Mississippi.
For a whole lot of Americans, no matter which watershed you live in, you are ultimately tied to the Mississippi River which means you are also tied to the Gulf of Mexico.
In the previous post, I touched on localized flashed floods within our own watersheds and what actions property owners can take to help reduce flash flooding. All of these same methods apply when talking about recurrent flooding as seen along rivers like the Mississippi.
And this makes sense. If reducing localized flooding takes everyone in a neighborhood making different choices to prevent local floods; then it also means every watershed needs to make better choices to prevent rivers flooding downstream. Rivers experiencing recurring hundred year floods is at the very least just the downstream net effect of many watersheds struggling with flash flooding. In other words if a million watershed eventually empty into the Mississippi, and million watersheds are struggling with flooding then naturally the Mississippi is also struggling with flooding.
The impact of recurring flooding is felt most heavily by river communities like those in Western Wisconsin.
Beyond recurring flooding, the Mississippi is also emptying into an increasingly growing dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico. Similar to the toxic algae blooms we experience in the lakes in our local watersheds, the dead zone is conceptually similar on a grander scale.
In our lakes, nutrient-rich waters, largely full of fertilizers from agricultural or lawn application which run off into the watershed, feed the local algae blooms. Now imagine collecting run off from across the Great Plains, the Midwest, and the South and funneling it all into a single river which flushes into the ocean at the Gulf of Mexico.
In the gulf when the algae blooms die off and are broken down by bacteria, oxygen in the gulf is depleted. Aquarium owners know the importance of keeping your tank oxygenated so that your fish can breath (and may even install bubblers when necessary). The same concept is true of fish in the ocean; without enough oxygen in the water life can't survive. No little fish to eat, means no big fish, and no big fish means no other stuff like sharks, whales, dolphins or even sea-faring birds.
The Gulf of Mexico and the Mississippi River are a clear and present example of how our behaviors (even those which may seems small like fertilizing your lawn) can be compounded in nature. This case holds true even with other watersheds which don't flow into the Mississippi because all water eventually flows into a greater body of water be that the Great Lakes, the Chesapeake Bay, the Bay of Fundy, or the Long Island Sound. Chemicals, pollutants, nutrients and debris are carried by water from small bodies to larger.
The good news is that means the actions discussed in the previous post hold true as good ways to help our planet. But it also means that there are larger and other solutions which must also be considered.
First and foremost, nutrients must be contained. The easiest solution for property owners: avoid using fertilizers and clean up after your pets. Keeping yard waste like grass clippings and fallen leaves out the storm water gutters (and therefore out of the watershed) also helps reduce the amount of nutrients entering the rivers.
Agricultural production must also find ways to reduce the amount fertilizer used and find ways to keep it and animal waste contained. Containment of nutrients can be approached in a few different ways beneficial to rivers. As in the previous post, the key is water infiltration. Buffer zones at the edges of fields, property lines, and along streams help contain nutrients and other pollutants. These buffers function like wetlands. When filled with deep rooted native plants, the buffers are both an effective erosion control and can also filter and use pollutants and nutrients keeping water clean. These areas are known as Riparian Buffers.
To repeat a previous theme. Restoring and protecting natural wetlands is the best method. Natural wetlands are the most effective buffer zones. Wetlands slow the flow of water allowing sediment and pollutants to drop out, clarifying the water. Wetlands are also capable of breaking down nitrogen fertilizers to remove them from the watershed altogether.
In short, you and I and everyone are capable of saving the oceans (Pause for a second because that's a powerful thought!):
Minke Whale in the Bay of Fundy
By: 1) Avoiding fertilizers
2) Cleaning up after our pets
3) Keeping yard waste out of the storm sewers
4) Containing nutrients on site by using native plants as buffers
5) Keeping buffer zones along streams, ponds, rivers, and lakes intact
6) And protecting and restoring natural wetlands.
Salt Marsh preserve at Irviing Park near St. John, NB
Horicon Marsh National Wildlife Refuge, Waupun, WI
Friday, September 20, 2019
Everyone as Conservationist - Where the Rain Flows
In my previous post, I discussed the importance of knowing which watershed you live in. So we'll build from there.
I suggested that it's a worthwhile exercise to map out where your water goes starting with the rain which hits your roof. Falling rain encounters two possible surface types on its way down: permeable or impermeable. Permeable surfaces absorb rainfall like a sponge, impermeable surfaces like most roofs and pavement prevent the water from soaking in and force it to run off.
Run off is remarkably problematic. It's the root cause of a number of watershed problems, including: flash flooding and algae blooms.
Run off is increased by human development. Anytime construction creates new impermeable surfaces: buildings, roads, sidewalks, parking lots, etc; we've reduced the ground's capacity to absorb falling rain. In addition not all ground is equally permeable. Certain soil and plant combinations are more capable of absorbing rainfall than others.
Natural wetlands filled with reeds, willows, and tall grasses are incredibly effective at preventing floods and acting as buffer. Each time, these wetlands are drained, removed, and then built upon; not only is their significant risk that the newly constructed buildings will flood but the risk of flooding nearby also increases. Building in flood plains and wetlands should be highly discouraged. This is where you can get involved either by voting or raising concerns with local government decisions made by groups like planning or zoning commissions.
Run off that has nowhere to go allows for our streets to become rivers during significant rain events. And if we've had an above average rainy season, the limited permeable surfaces such as our yards can become super-saturated effectively rendering them impermeable as well.
The rain which falls on our property encounters other things along its journey. Rain which runs off the driveway may pick up motor oil, gasoline, sidewalk chalk or coolant. Rain which runs off our yards may pick up dirt, fertilizers, and pesticides. Fast moving water erodes our lawns, roads, and agricultural fields carrying with it a whole variety of debris and chemicals.
The clearest illustration of what the rain carries with it can be seen in the winter. The charcoal gray lumps of snow and ice along the side of the road show us exactly what kind of debris is carried in the watershed.
When too many nutrients like phosphorous from fertilizers end up in our lakes; our behaviors are to blame.
There are a number of simple things home owners can do in their yards to help prevent the problems caused by run off.
1. Avoid using fertilizers and pesticides on your lawn or garden. It will end up in the watershed.
2. Pick up after your pet quickly. Bacteria and nutrients from dog poop absolutely gets carried by the rain and snowmelt.
3. Check your gutters and downspouts, if possible make sure that they empty onto a permeable surface. For example, we had a gutter which emptied onto the driveway, so we extended it to empty into the yard instead.
4. Trap some of the rain on your property - rain barrels are great for this.
5. Make your yard more permeable. Turf grass has short roots which don't really help that much with water infiltration (remember not all plant and soil combinations are created equal). You can put in rain gardens near your gutters. You can let weeds like dandelions which have long tap roots grow in your yard. You can put in gardens with native trees, flowers, and grasses which have longer, complex root system to help make your yard more of a sponge. You can also look at replacing some of your pavement with permeable pavers.
A number of the actions you can take will cost little or nothing like stop using chemicals and let some weeds grow; others will be more expensive like replacing current pavement with permeable pavers. The take-away is that there are actions each individual can take. If together our neighborhoods spawn toxic algae blooms in the local lakes then together our neighborhoods can end them as well.
Reflecting on yesterday's post, when I think about the Bald Eagle eating fish from the neighborhood pond or the cranes raising their colts there; I hope that we are being good stewards and not poisoning the home we've left for them after building our neighborhood. Tomorrow, we'll look a little further downstream; for now I'll end with a few other pictures taken at our neighborhood pond.
Blue Heron wading the local retention pond.
Mallard Duck swimming in the local retention pond.
I suggested that it's a worthwhile exercise to map out where your water goes starting with the rain which hits your roof. Falling rain encounters two possible surface types on its way down: permeable or impermeable. Permeable surfaces absorb rainfall like a sponge, impermeable surfaces like most roofs and pavement prevent the water from soaking in and force it to run off.
Run off is remarkably problematic. It's the root cause of a number of watershed problems, including: flash flooding and algae blooms.
Run off is increased by human development. Anytime construction creates new impermeable surfaces: buildings, roads, sidewalks, parking lots, etc; we've reduced the ground's capacity to absorb falling rain. In addition not all ground is equally permeable. Certain soil and plant combinations are more capable of absorbing rainfall than others.
Natural wetlands filled with reeds, willows, and tall grasses are incredibly effective at preventing floods and acting as buffer. Each time, these wetlands are drained, removed, and then built upon; not only is their significant risk that the newly constructed buildings will flood but the risk of flooding nearby also increases. Building in flood plains and wetlands should be highly discouraged. This is where you can get involved either by voting or raising concerns with local government decisions made by groups like planning or zoning commissions.
Run off that has nowhere to go allows for our streets to become rivers during significant rain events. And if we've had an above average rainy season, the limited permeable surfaces such as our yards can become super-saturated effectively rendering them impermeable as well.
The rain which falls on our property encounters other things along its journey. Rain which runs off the driveway may pick up motor oil, gasoline, sidewalk chalk or coolant. Rain which runs off our yards may pick up dirt, fertilizers, and pesticides. Fast moving water erodes our lawns, roads, and agricultural fields carrying with it a whole variety of debris and chemicals.
The clearest illustration of what the rain carries with it can be seen in the winter. The charcoal gray lumps of snow and ice along the side of the road show us exactly what kind of debris is carried in the watershed.
When too many nutrients like phosphorous from fertilizers end up in our lakes; our behaviors are to blame.
There are a number of simple things home owners can do in their yards to help prevent the problems caused by run off.
1. Avoid using fertilizers and pesticides on your lawn or garden. It will end up in the watershed.
2. Pick up after your pet quickly. Bacteria and nutrients from dog poop absolutely gets carried by the rain and snowmelt.
3. Check your gutters and downspouts, if possible make sure that they empty onto a permeable surface. For example, we had a gutter which emptied onto the driveway, so we extended it to empty into the yard instead.
4. Trap some of the rain on your property - rain barrels are great for this.
5. Make your yard more permeable. Turf grass has short roots which don't really help that much with water infiltration (remember not all plant and soil combinations are created equal). You can put in rain gardens near your gutters. You can let weeds like dandelions which have long tap roots grow in your yard. You can put in gardens with native trees, flowers, and grasses which have longer, complex root system to help make your yard more of a sponge. You can also look at replacing some of your pavement with permeable pavers.
A number of the actions you can take will cost little or nothing like stop using chemicals and let some weeds grow; others will be more expensive like replacing current pavement with permeable pavers. The take-away is that there are actions each individual can take. If together our neighborhoods spawn toxic algae blooms in the local lakes then together our neighborhoods can end them as well.
Reflecting on yesterday's post, when I think about the Bald Eagle eating fish from the neighborhood pond or the cranes raising their colts there; I hope that we are being good stewards and not poisoning the home we've left for them after building our neighborhood. Tomorrow, we'll look a little further downstream; for now I'll end with a few other pictures taken at our neighborhood pond.
Blue Heron wading the local retention pond.
Mallard Duck swimming in the local retention pond.
Thursday, September 19, 2019
Everyone as Conservationist - Watersheds
Water. Two hydrogen atoms, one oxygen atom. A unique gift on our planet. It supports life. It covers most of the planet's surface. We need it for drinking, bathing, cooking, manufacturing, and bathrooming.
And we find ourselves in a series of ongoing water crises.
Recurring floods.
Record droughts
Cities with tainted water
Cities without water
Toxic Algae Blooms
Plastic Garbage Islands
Coral Bleaching
The Gulf of Mexico's Deadzone
The above is a major list of problems for such an elemental part of life. Many of these problems come down to two root causes: human behavior and climate change.
Many of the above problems are local problems. All of us live in a watershed. And we probably don't even know which watershed we live in. So what's a watershed?
A watershed is a geographic area where water flows to the same place. And it can play a big part in water politics. For example, if you live in Waukesha, WI you are in the Milwaukee suburbs. Milwaukee is part of Lake Michigan's watershed. Rain which falls in Milwaukee eventually flows into Lake Michigan. In Waukesha, the water doesn't flow back to Lake Michigan. Instead it flows into the Fox River. The Fox River flows south into Illinois and into the Illinois River. The Illinois River flows into the Mississippi River and exits into the Gulf of Mexico.
So step one for you is to identify what watershed you live in.
Next you need to understand how your watershed works and understand where your water goes. We'll call this a water map. For those of us in the Midwest, most of our rain eventually makes it to the Great Lakes or Gulf of Mexico. Here's a framework for you:
Rain hits your roof, flows into your gutter.
Some exits your property and into your street.
From the street it goes into the gutter or storm sewers.
And then into the local retention pond.
Eventually back into the storm sewers and then back into a creek, stream, or river.
From the smaller river into a bigger.
And then into a greater body of water
You are connected to something much greater than yourself, and you are connected to a body of water on which we all rely; be that a Great Lake or the ocean.
The last step, get involved.
A lot of watersheds have some kind of community organization. For example, Clean Lakes Alliance is non profit group supporting the Yahara River and Lakes watershed in Madison, WI. These are typically volunteer organizations who monitor the health of the watershed and advocate for its health. Take the time to find out if your watershed has an organization; you know take 15 seconds and google it.
Find out what other communities are in your watershed.
Get outside and explore your watershed.
What does getting involved with your watershed look like?
I've attended a number of talks at our local library. City officials discussed plans to dredge the local retention pond. One was on the surprising biodiversity and health of our local retention ponds. Another was on the cranes living in nearby wetlands. In addition to learning about my watershed; it's where the kids and I go looking for wildlife.
Green Frogs in our retention pond.
Family of Sandhill Cranes with 2 colts visiting the local retention pond.
This juvenile Bald Eagle caught a fish in our retention pond.
Water from my yard and my neighborhood ends up in that pond. The health of that pond and the animals who call it home depend on us. And this pond is just the start of the water's journey before it is eventually released in the Gulf of Mexico.
And we find ourselves in a series of ongoing water crises.
Recurring floods.
Record droughts
Cities with tainted water
Cities without water
Toxic Algae Blooms
Plastic Garbage Islands
Coral Bleaching
The Gulf of Mexico's Deadzone
The above is a major list of problems for such an elemental part of life. Many of these problems come down to two root causes: human behavior and climate change.
Many of the above problems are local problems. All of us live in a watershed. And we probably don't even know which watershed we live in. So what's a watershed?
A watershed is a geographic area where water flows to the same place. And it can play a big part in water politics. For example, if you live in Waukesha, WI you are in the Milwaukee suburbs. Milwaukee is part of Lake Michigan's watershed. Rain which falls in Milwaukee eventually flows into Lake Michigan. In Waukesha, the water doesn't flow back to Lake Michigan. Instead it flows into the Fox River. The Fox River flows south into Illinois and into the Illinois River. The Illinois River flows into the Mississippi River and exits into the Gulf of Mexico.
So step one for you is to identify what watershed you live in.
Next you need to understand how your watershed works and understand where your water goes. We'll call this a water map. For those of us in the Midwest, most of our rain eventually makes it to the Great Lakes or Gulf of Mexico. Here's a framework for you:
Rain hits your roof, flows into your gutter.
Some exits your property and into your street.
From the street it goes into the gutter or storm sewers.
And then into the local retention pond.
Eventually back into the storm sewers and then back into a creek, stream, or river.
From the smaller river into a bigger.
And then into a greater body of water
You are connected to something much greater than yourself, and you are connected to a body of water on which we all rely; be that a Great Lake or the ocean.
The last step, get involved.
A lot of watersheds have some kind of community organization. For example, Clean Lakes Alliance is non profit group supporting the Yahara River and Lakes watershed in Madison, WI. These are typically volunteer organizations who monitor the health of the watershed and advocate for its health. Take the time to find out if your watershed has an organization; you know take 15 seconds and google it.
Find out what other communities are in your watershed.
Get outside and explore your watershed.
What does getting involved with your watershed look like?
I've attended a number of talks at our local library. City officials discussed plans to dredge the local retention pond. One was on the surprising biodiversity and health of our local retention ponds. Another was on the cranes living in nearby wetlands. In addition to learning about my watershed; it's where the kids and I go looking for wildlife.
Green Frogs in our retention pond.
Family of Sandhill Cranes with 2 colts visiting the local retention pond.
This juvenile Bald Eagle caught a fish in our retention pond.
Water from my yard and my neighborhood ends up in that pond. The health of that pond and the animals who call it home depend on us. And this pond is just the start of the water's journey before it is eventually released in the Gulf of Mexico.
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