WATER RESOURCE GUIDE

Showing How Water Matters for World Environment Day

Southwestern Pennsylvania's Corporate Sustainability Officers/Coordinators have taken up the spirit of World Environment Day by showing how their leadership is having an impact on our community to conserve water and to become more sustainable.

The Sustainability Coordinator Group has assembled this page of links as a resource guide to conserving and addressing water issues. Please note that links in this guide go to sites outside of the C4S domain.

Information on ways of obtaining quality drinking water

• Bottled water basics: 2005 EPA brochure covering topics related to bottled water
• Overview of a study from the Natural Resources Defense Council (NDRC) on bottled water and tap water 
• Site presented by the American Water Works Association to cover relevant topics related to all water issues.
• EPA 2009 report on tap-drinking water
• Allegheny County Health Department: public drinking water
• Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection: water programs
• Bottled water versus filtered water: Information on the quality of bottled water and how it compares to tap water and home water filtration.  Website owned by Doss Holdings, Inc.

Healthy hydration information

• 2005 Nutrition and Your Health: Dietary Guidelines for Americans by the United States Department of Agriculture and the United States Department of Healthy and Human Services
• United States Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Library’s Food and Nutrition Information Center

Resources related to clean water resources

• Citizens for Pennsylvania’s Future: Water Resources
• Business Roundtable: Importance of water for businesses
• Impaired water ways in the Lower Monongahela Watershed
• Global water issues
• Local groups dedicated to our watershed and recognized by the EPA
• Allegheny County Health Department’s water pollution control website
• EPA water quality standards: provides background information on how to define the protection applied to bodies of water from pollutants.
• “How To,” spread the word about the importance of knowing your watershed and protecting your environment
• EPA resource on protecting water quality from urban stormwater runoff
• Sewage overflow basics and the role of the homeowner
• 3 Rivers Wet Weather educational and reference materials for communities and individuals
• Pennsylvania Environmental Council website on water resources

Fact sheets on best ways of conserving water

• 2003 EPA Analysis and Findings of The Gallup Organization’s Drinking Customer Satisfaction Survey  
• American Water Works Association water wiser drip calculator
• 2006 United Nations Development Programme “Human Development Report”
• EPA WaterSense
• EPA WaterSense educational materials
• Nine Mile Run Watershed Association

Marcellus shale drilling issues—impacts on water quality

• Marcellus Shale Coalition
• Citizens for Pennsylvania’s Future Special Campaigns history of drilling in PA
• Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources FAQ
• Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection: Marcellus Shale
• 2008 “Shale Gas: Focus on the Marcellus Shale” report for individuals interested more information on Marcellus Shale

Water security and vulnerability of water quality

• 2009 EPA resource discussing tap water
• EPA water security
• United States Department of the Interior U.S. Geological Survey summary of estimated water use in the U.S. in 2005
• Inter Press Service (IPS), news agency’s report called “CHILE: Water a Matter of National Security”
• World Business Council for Sustainable Development article on “The Market Grows where Water Flows”discussing water issues and their importance to businesses
• Global non-profit website on global water facts
• 3 Rivers Wet Weather, Allegheny County Sewer-Related Facts and Figures

Connections of water savings, energy savings, and reduced CO2 footprint

• WaterSense consumers
• WaterSense benefits of water efficiency
• WaterSense “Saving Water Saves Energy: Make the Drops-to-Watts Connection”

The links on this page are external to the Champions for Sustainability (C4S). The links provide information that may be useful or interesting and is being provided consistent with the intended purpose of the C4S Web site. However, C4S nor its affiliated Sustainability Coordinators cannot attest to the accuracy of information provided by this link or any other linked site. Providing links to a non-C4S Web site does not constitute an endorsement by C4S or any of its employees or the sponsors of the site or the information or products presented on the site. Essential points are: 1. You will be leaving the C4S site; 2. We do not bear responsibility for other sites; 3. We are not endorsing a site by including the link on our page.

Pittsburgh's Sustainability Officers: Connecting regionally to contribute globally