August is National Water Quality Month, dedicated to making the most of the relatively small amount of fresh water we have. Having clean water is vital to our individual health, our collective agricultural needs, and the needs of our environment. The history of National Water Quality Month originates back to two U.S. congressional acts that were passed in the early 1970s in an effort to protect our water resources: The Clean Water Act (1972) - the federal government began taking steps to curb water pollution by making it illegal to dump high amounts of toxic materials into bodies of water. The Safe Drinking Water Act (1974) - passed to further protect the quality of groundwater and public water systems. National Water Quality Month was founded in 2005 by the EPA and the United Nations to promote civic discourse on how to conserve our natural water sources. This includes what we all can do in our own households and communities to ensure that we all have access to safe, clean ...