Our personal choices as consumers and members of our community can have a profound impact on our region’s watershed ecosystems. In the Pacific Northwest, as in much of the world, the average person lives an overly consumptive lifestyle. Choices such as the material used to make everyday products affect our water quality. For example, wet wipes that claim to be “flushable” are often found to be responsible for clogged sewers and wastewater treatment plant filters, and have led to spills of raw sewage into the Puget Sound.   

Education is also key: individuals who understand how stormwater and sewage are treated and the effects on our region’s watersheds are likely to make lower impact personal choices.

Solutions in This Sector