With funding from the Ohio Environmental Education Fund (OEEF), an essential part of Rivers Unlimited's Mission is to educate area residents about the negative impact that excess nutrients can have on the river and its wildlife. The program aims to empower residents with knowledge about nutrient pollution and teach them practical steps they can take at home to improve water quality in their area of the watershed.
www.epa.gov/soakuptherain/soak-rain-rain-gardens
Water quantity Best Management Practices (BMPs) are designed to detain stormwater and either 1) release it slowly to reduce flashy flows downstream, or 2) facilitate infiltration of the stormwater into the soil where it can recharge the groundwater.
The best way to control stormwater quality and quantity is to route stormwater to pervious areas, and away from storm drains, where the water can be taken-up by plants and/or infiltrate into the soil. Often, major gains in stormwater management can be made simply by changing the direction of a downspout to drain into landscaped or lawn areas and away from impervious surfaces (e.g. concrete or asphalt).
Water quality BMPs are designed to keep potential pollutants out of streams. This is achieved by 1) keeping potential pollutants covered and out of the flow path of stormwater, or 2) separating pollutants that have already been picked up by stormwater through settling in detention areas or filtering through soil or a similar medium.
There are a number of potential contaminants that residents may not think of as threats to downstream water quality- pet waste, soap from car washing, pool/hot tub water, oil/gasoline, paints, batteries, leaking dumpster fluids, etc. Residents can learn more about keeping stormwater clean from Hamilton County Public Health. Hamilton County Public Health operates a hotline that residents can use to report storm water pollution - (513) 946-7000.
Learn about how to properly dispose of household hazardous materials at http://www.takebackyourhome.org
Residents can minimize the impact of your lawn care practices on local streams in several ways:
Do not apply fertilizer during dry summer months - when there is no moisture in the soil for the plants to uptake, photosynthesis stops - and so does uptake of nutrients (fertilizers).
Do not spray lawns within a day of a heavy rain event.
Avoid spraying in or near streams/ditches/drainages.
After fertilizing, clean up fertilizer granules from driveways and sidewalks.
Some lawns may not need to be fertilized nearly as often as others depending on your soil and soil maintenance practices. Hamilton County Soil and Water Conservation District can supply local residents and organizations with soil test kits (at reduced cost) so that residents can have confidence that they are applying what they need and nothing more. https://www.hcswcd.org/soil-fertility.html
Plant woody vegetation in and around streambanks. These are called riparian buffers, which are among the most important things residents can do to contribute to healthy streams. Riparian buffers provide streambank stability, flood control, stormwater filtering, and habitat for aquatic and terrestrial wildlife.