Household Hazardous Information

Nearly every day we hear reports in the media of polluted drinking water supplies. Who’s to blame? It’s not just industry and business that contaminates drinking water. We all have the potential to be the culprit by careless use and disposal of automotive fluids, lawn and garden chemicals, paints, degreasers, common detergents and many other items normally found around the home. Changes in everyday habits can greatly reduce the threat of pollution to drinking water wells. By following a few simple suggestionsyou can help protect everyone’s drinking water.

Read through the information presented from the links at the bottom of this page to find out what you can do to protect groundwater.

1. After reading through the information from the links below, describe how you may or someone you know may have unknowingly polluted our groundwater.

2. Inventory your home for household hazardous materials. List materials that you cannot flush down the drain or put in the trash, but have to be brought to a Household Hazardous Waste Collection Day.

  3. Describe a day in the life of an "ecoslob" who knows nothing about protecting groundwater.

  4. Describe a day in the life of an educated consumer who knows how to protect groundwater.

Household Hazardous Waste Collection Schedule for Burlington from the DEP website (http://www.ct.gov/dep/cwp/view.asp?a=2718&q=325448#Burlington)

Burlington Household Hazardous Waste Collection Day May 19, 2007  from the Tunxis Recycling Operating Committee (http://www.brrfoc.org/event_detail.php?evc=2&ev=30×tamp=1179547200)

Burlington Electronics Recycling Day June 2, 2007 from the Tunxis Recycling Operating Committee (http://www.brrfoc.org/event_detail.php?evc=4&ev=11×tamp=1180756800)

Household Hazardous Waste Collection Schedule for Harwinton from the DEP website (http://www.ct.gov/dep/cwp/view.asp?a=2718&q=325448#Harwinton)

2007 Dates         Location             Hours

June 19th (Tentative) Falls Village Public Works Garage9:00 am - 1:00 pm

October 13 (Tentative) Torrington WPCF 9:00 am - 3:00 pm

Harwinton Residents must preregister (http://www.torringtonct.org/public_documents/TorringtonCT_Mayor/S004E0C92 )

Groundwater and You (http://www.hvatoday.org/GW&You.pdf) from the Housatonic Valley Association

http://www.ct.gov/dep/cwp/view.asp?a=2708&q=323956&depNav_GID=1646

http://dep.state.ct.us/wst/p2/individual/house.htm

http://dep.state.ct.us/wst/recycle/batthaz.htm

http://dep.state.ct.us/wst/hhw/recharge.htm

http://www.epa.gov/owow/nps/abc.html

Honors classes also:

http://www.epa.gov/OWOW/NPS/dosdont.html

Managing Nonpoint Source Pollution from Households (EPA841-F-96-004J) from U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Nonpoint Source Control Branch at: http:// www.epa.gov/ owow/ nps/ facts/ point10.htm (page last updated October 4, 1999, accessed May7 2004)