There are over 300 chemicals in fragranced products and many are not listed or disclosed and the chemical compounds in synthetic fragrances are lipophilic, which means that they usually combine and dissolve better into oily liquids than water. This is a problem because it means that the fragrant remnants arrive through the air, water, or urban runoff, are becoming the form of nasty sewage sludge buildup. So, you should stop using scented colognes and perfumes by switching to naturally-scented products and environmentally friendly cleaners. Canada’s many lakes, rivers, streams, and other bodies of water make up 7 percent of the world’s renewable freshwater.

Unfortunately, the biggest threat to freshwater is rooted in human development. Generally, water is considered “polluted” when people can’t drink it or fish can’t survive in it. How more damage can be prevented is for people to decrease their dependence on oil and nonrenewable resources.

For most people, this means that they should rely less on cars, take advantage of public transit, do more walking, biking, or carpooling. The rest will be left to higher levels of government. People could also participate in the annual Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup, which is a joint conservation initiative of the Vancouver Aquarium and WWF-Canada. The Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup is a great way to help out by reducing litter on our shores.