Effective date: September 6, 2026
This policy explains what Water Upkeep collects when you visit waterupkeep.com, why, who processes it, and what rights you have. Water Upkeep is an independent editorial website operated from outside the United States and aimed at readers in the United States. You can reach us through our contact page.
1. What we collect
- Analytics data. If you consent to analytics cookies, Google Analytics 4 collects a randomly generated identifier, your approximate location derived from IP address, device and browser information, the pages you view, referring pages and on-page events such as scrolling and outbound clicks. We do not receive your name or email address through analytics.
- Contact form submissions. If you use our contact form we receive the name, email address, reason and message you provide, plus the time of submission.
- Server logs. Our host records standard web server logs, including IP address, request time and user agent, for security and operational purposes.
- Consent record. Your cookie choice is stored in your browser so we do not ask again on every page.
We do not run advertising. We do not sell or share personal information. We do not operate a newsletter. Comments are disabled site-wide, so we collect no comment data.
2. Cookies and similar technologies
| Cookie | Set by | Purpose | Category |
|---|---|---|---|
| Consent preference | waterupkeep.com | Remembers your cookie choice | Strictly necessary |
| _ga and related | Google Analytics 4 | Distinguishes visitors and sessions for aggregate reporting | Analytics, consent required |
| WordPress session cookies | waterupkeep.com | Only set for logged-in site administrators | Strictly necessary |
Analytics cookies are blocked until you consent. You can change or withdraw your choice at any time using the cookie settings control on the site.
3. Who processes your data
- Hostinger International – website hosting and server logs.
- Google LLC – Google Analytics 4 (aggregate audience measurement) and Google Search Console (aggregate search performance; Search Console does not receive personal data from this site).
- WPManageNinja (Fluent Forms) – contact form software running on our own hosting; submissions are stored on our server and emailed to us.
- UpdraftPlus and our backup destination – encrypted site backups, which may include contact form records.
4. Legal bases and retention
Analytics is processed on the basis of your consent. Contact form data is processed on the basis of our legitimate interest in answering your message. Server logs are processed on the basis of our legitimate interest in operating and securing the site.
Analytics data is retained for 14 months. Contact form submissions are retained for 24 months and then deleted. Server logs are retained according to our host standard retention. Backups roll off within 12 months.
5. Your rights in California
If you are a California resident, the California Consumer Privacy Act as amended by the CPRA gives you the right to know what personal information we collect, to request deletion or correction, and to opt out of the sale or sharing of personal information.
Water Upkeep does not sell or share personal information, and has never done so. We do not process sensitive personal information. You can still exercise your right to know, correct or delete by contacting us through the contact page. We will not discriminate against you for exercising any of these rights.
Because we run analytics only where you have opted in, the mechanism for opting out of any sharing is the same consent control you saw on your first visit. The Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information link in the footer of every page reopens that control, where you can withdraw analytics consent at any time.
6. Your rights in the EU and UK
If the GDPR or UK GDPR applies to you, you have the right of access, rectification, erasure, restriction, objection and data portability, and the right to withdraw consent at any time. You may also lodge a complaint with your supervisory authority. Contact us through the contact page to exercise any of these.
7. Children
This site is intended for adult homeowners. We do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under 13, in line with the Children Online Privacy Protection Act. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, contact us and we will delete it.
8. International transfers
Our host and analytics provider may process data in the United States and elsewhere. Where required, transfers rely on the standard contractual clauses or an equivalent mechanism operated by those providers.
9. Security
The site is served over HTTPS. Administrative access is restricted and protected by strong authentication. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.
10. Changes
If we change this policy we will update the effective date above and, for material changes, note the change on this page.