Bubbly Wateryness

I think I have begun an addiction to morning walks.  Even though I didn't have to get up and be out the door early this morning, I decided that I would be.  So, I left at 5:21 am to take a walk of approximately 3 kms. 

I was a little shocked when I made it to the river.  The water was very bubbly.  It looked like dishwater flowing, and I wondered, 'where is this coming from?  Is this from the cleaning that people do in their houses, or is this from factories or farms?  Is this even soap?'  How do we begin to trust that this is water that we could drink straight from the river?

I think it just comes down to what we care about, for ourselves, our children, and our communities.  It is my opinion that we are very quick to remove wildlife from our communities, so very few of us have had interaction with animals unless they were pets.  What would our community look like if the animals that lived in the area were considered part of it, instead of a nuisance, or a threat?

I know that we can't really stop using soap, but ensuring that I am using a soap that is phosphate free is a step that I have taken.  Phosphate promotes algae blooms, and as I understand it, algae blooms take lots of oxygen out of the water, leaving very little for the other forms of life that live in the water.  Phosphate free soaps are all over the place, but I am not sure about shampoos and body washes.  I have not been able to find any mention of phosphates on these bottles.

I know that there is more that I can do, but for now, one step at a time.