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 Washington
County
Urban Home*A*Syst
Introduction
What Is Home*A*Syst?
Home*A*Syst is a confidential, self-assessment program you can use to
evaluate your home and property for pollution and health risk. In every home –
large or small, new or old, city or country – there are potential pollution
sources that can affect the health of your family, community or the environment.
Why Urban Home*A*Syst?
Home*A*Syst is a national program tailored to help residents evaluate their
homes and property for environmental impact. This Urban Home*A*Syst
program was designed as an assessment tool specifically for Fayetteville’s
rapidly expanding urban population. It is similar to previous Home*A*Syst
programs, but topics applicable to rural homes (management of wells and septic
systems) have been tailored to address urban issues (storm drain pathways and
wastewater treatment plant processes).
In Northwest Arkansas, Beaver Lake (the municipal drinking water source for
more than 300,000 residents) can be affected by many potential contaminant
sources including fertilizers, pesticides and hazardous household products. The
Urban Home*A*Syst assessment tool is designed to help urban residents
identify management techniques which reduce or prevent pollution and help reduce
consumption of water, energy and other resources.
Who Should Use the Book?
This easy-to-use assessment program will be a valuable reference for
residents of rural and suburban homes. It is for those who care about natural
resources and the environment and who are willing to take steps – no matter how
small – to improve how they manage their homes. Whether you rent a room or own a
house, this book can show you how to reduce your impact on natural systems and
cut back on your use of the earth’s resources. Urban Home*A*Syst
can also help you protect your investment by identifying pollution risks on your
property before expensive problems occur.
What Is Inside?
The seven chapters in Urban Home*A*Syst cover essential topics that
every resident or homeowner should understand. Each chapter contains key points,
along with tables of assessment questions, to help you understand which risks
may apply to your situation. For some topics, this guidebook offers all the
information you need to minimize or eliminate a pollution risk. For others, it
provides a starting point and helps you locate further information and
assistance.
Getting Started
You can complete the Urban Home*A*Syst exercises one at a time or all
together – it’s up to you. The main idea is to take the time to identify
pollution threats to your local environment; then, where feasible, to take
voluntary actions to reduce those risks and prevent problems. This guidebook
helps you accomplish three important objectives:
- Identify environmental risks, concerns or problems in and around your
home.
- Learn about better home and property management and find further
information.
- Take preventive actions to safeguard your health and the environment.
Checklist
for Pollution Risks in and Around Your Home
Purpose
This checklist is a quick way to scan for potential problem areas in your
home. It will help you identify possible risks and introduces you to many of the
topics discussed in this book. The chapters cover many other assessment
questions about situations and practices not included in the checklist. If you
identify potential concerns using this checklist or think there may be risks or
areas needing improvement, please turn to the chapter on the appropriate topic.
Instructions
Using a pencil, answer the questions yes or no. If you don’t know the answer,
try to find out by looking at the corresponding Urban Home*A*Syst
chapters. You may need to locate your home maintenance records, ask family
members or neighbors or seek assistance or further information. The answers you
give on this checklist – and on the assessment tables in each chapter – are
confidential. They are for your eyes only and simply invite you to consider
actions that can help reduce your impact on water quality in Northwest Arkansas.
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Site Assessment Around Your Home |
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Is your soil sandy or gravelly, allowing water to drain
through it quickly? |
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Is there a potential source of contamination – such as
animal wastes, pesticides, fertilizers, automotive products or eroding
soil – on your property within 100 feet of a storm drain, drainage ditch
or creek? |
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Is the water table less than 10 feet below the surface? |
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Runoff Management |
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Do the downspouts from your roof gutters empty out onto
paved surfaces instead of onto grass, mulch or gravel – keeping the rain
from soaking into the ground? |
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Are fertilizers, pesticides or salts stored where
floodwaters might reach them? |
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Are some parts of your property, particularly slopes,
sparsely planted and without mulch, exposing the soil to erosion? |
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Lawn and Garden Care |
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If you use fertilizer, has it been longer than three years
since you last had your lawn and garden soil tested for nutrients? |
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Do you ever use fertilizers or pesticides without reading
the label or following the recommended doses and application
instructions? |
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Do you have areas of bare soil on your property that are
susceptible to erosion? |
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Storage and Handling of Hazardous Household Products |
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Do you use products without knowing whether or not they
are hazardous? |
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Do you ever pour hazardous substances such as paints,
stains, polishes or solvents down a sink drain, down a storm drain, in a
ditch or on the ground? |
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Automotive Products – Storage and Handling |
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Do you have a vehicle that leaks automotive fluids? |
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Do you store fuel for your lawnmower or other gas-powered
equipment in non-approved containers such as glass jars, plastic jugs or
coffee cans? |
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Household Wastewater Treatment |
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Do you pour paints, stains, polishes, cleaners or solvents
down a sink drain or a toilet as a way to dispose of leftover products? |
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Do you think storm drains flow to the municipal wastewater
treatment plant? |
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Managing Household Trash – Waste Prevention, Reuse,
Recycling and Composting |
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Do you purchase products that you don’t really need and do
not use? |
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Do you buy products wrapped in excess packaging? |
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Do you throw away yard or food wastes that could be
composted? |
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Back to Urban Home*A*Syst
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