Three Ways to Contribute to National Water Quality Month

Petri Plumbing and Heating, Inc., Brooklyn’s leading Green Plumber certified home services company, offers residents ways to combat poor water quality from their own homes

BROOKLYN, N.Y. – August 21, 2018 – Petri Plumbing and Heating, Inc., a family owned business serving New York since 1906, is offering Brooklyn homeowners impactful ways to contribute to National Water Quality Month and make a difference in the surrounding waterways.

This summer, the Environmental Protection Agency reached a milestone $100 million settlement with National Grid in the interest of cleaning up the polluted Gowanus Canal. Now, in honor of National Water Quality Month, New York’s first certified Green Plumber wants to be sure local residents know how to do their part as well to reduce the contaminants making their way back into water supplies.

“Brooklyn is a beautiful, vibrant borough to call home, but unfortunately it’s no stranger to water pollution,” said Michael Petri, owner of Petri Plumbing & Heating. “The good news is that easy yet effective efforts to reduce the strain on our local water supplies can begin right at home.”

Petri Plumbing & Heating recommends adhering to the following best practices:

• A toilet is not a wastebasket. Personal sanitary products, baby wipes, makeup supplies and other similar items should never be flushed down the toilet. These items are not easily processed and removed, and often are considered nondegradable. When flushed, they can make their way out of the treatment process and pollute local water supplies and even beaches. The toilet should only receive biodegradable waste and toilet paper.
• Never pour grease down the sink. Clogging up the drain at home is the least worrisome effect of pouring grease into the sink. The grease that does make it into the sewers combines with grease drained or flushed from other households and businesses, and the culmination can eventually cause what has come to be known as a fatberg. These massive blockages can lead to dangerous hazards, redirecting raw sewage back out of the sewers and into the environment. Let any grease left over from cooking solidify, then throw it away in the garbage can instead.
• Mind what goes into the yard. Pesticides, fertilizer, and any runoff from automobiles such as oil, antifreeze and coolant can all make their way back into the water supply. Whenever possible, elect to use natural compost to fertilize plants and choose the most natural remedies for pest control possible. Regular automobile maintenance can help reduce the number of leaks, and putting down spare cardboard or towels in the garage or drive can help catch the rest. Animal waste, full of bacteria, can end up in storm drains and local water supplies as well. For homes with pets, make sure to clean up after them as if the yard is a public park.

“So often we forget that our water is part of a cycle,” Petri said. “How we treat our water and what we put into it pays a huge role in the effectiveness of treatment facilities, the quality of the water we consume, and the overall health of the waterways and environment around us.”

For more information about National Water Quality Month and how you can play a role in mending our waterways, please visit www.petriplumbing.com or call 718-748-1254.

About Petri Plumbing & Heating, Inc.

Petri Plumbing & Heating, Inc. is a family owned and operated business serving Brooklyn and the New York City area. Founded in 1906, the company offers a 100 percent guarantee on all services, upfront pricing, and friendly and knowledgeable Service Experts for all kinds of home and business plumbing and heating needs. Services offered include water and gas pipe leak repair and installation, fixture installations, inspections, boiler repair, water heater installation, complete bathroom, kitchen, laundry & utility room remodeling and more. Petri is also licensed and certified by Green Plumbers USA, the first in New York City to receive this designation. For more information, please visit www.petriplumbing.com or call 718-748-1254.

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