Unbeknownst to many, the Kitsap County Health District has been actively working to clean up local bays, streams and creeks, not to mention Dyes Inlet.

Kudos to the staff at the Health District and Kitsap County Surface and Storm Waste Management (SSWM) who have continued to work toward lowering the pollution levels in our local waters. The North Dyes Inlet Restoration Project was started in 2006 and continues to this day. Officials with the Health District and SSWM have been working with various homeowners and business owners in problem areas to help find a solution to the problem. They have educated local residents on how their actions have a direct impact on our environment — everything from failing septic systems to rinsing greasy mats near a storm drain.

These officials have helped to lower pollution levels dramatically, but it’s up to all of us to keep the momentum going. Think twice before you wash your car in your driveway or overfill the trash bin with liquids spilling out onto the ground. All of that dirty water has to go somewhere and it’s not going to clean itself up.