MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP - Daily activities can have a big impact on the water system, especially in the summer.

Many people like to wash their cars at home in the summer but that's not the best thing for the environment.

"The best practice that we really encourage people to do is to go to a commercial car wash um and the reason for that is because commercial car washes are plummed directly to the sanitary sewer so there's not a risk of storm water contamination or there's not a risk of contaminating our rivers," said Erin Campbell, the Senior Environmental Planner for the Tri-County Regional Planning Commission.

If you want to was your car at home, there is a better way to do it than washing it in the driveway.

"If you have to do it we recommend that you actually park on the grass and wash with somewhat of a good buffer before it gets to the concrete or hard surface like asphalt or curb," said Younes Ishraidi, the Chief Engineer in Meridian Township.

Other things residents can do to keep the water system clean include picking up pet waste to keep it from getting into the water.

It is also important to avoid dumping things like grease and oil down the drain and instead put them in the trash or recycling.