For more information on Ohio EPA's Storm Water Program Phase 2 click here.

Elementary students within the city assisted the City of Coshocton and Coshocton Soil & Water Conservation District with labeling storm drains “ONLY RAIN – DOWN THE STORM DRAIN” as part of the City of Coshocton’s Storm Water Management Plan. Participating schools included Central, Lincoln, South Lawn and Sacred Heart, and drains were labeled in May 2009.

Deb Bigelow, Education Specialist with the Coshocton SWCD, provided the students with valuable educational lessons throughout the school year including the Enviroscape Model, “Garbage Bag Watershed” and “Sum of the Parts,” all three focusing on watersheds, along with a topography lesson titled “The Great Flood.” These lessons taught students about water runoff with different types of land use, and they learned that storm drains drain directly to a waterway / body of water (which is where it is meant to drain). After learning these valuable lifelong lessons, students were very eager to do their part in assisting the City of Coshocton to protect our water quality. Groups were led by school teachers and Coshocton Soil and Water Conservation District personnel. Over 125 storm drains have been labeled thanks to the efforts of these students.

Students not only labeled storm drains, they were also asked to list the possible sources of pollution they found entering the storm drains. Students found the following: a lot of cigarette butts, dirt, cans, gasoline, candy and gum wrappers, gum, oil, dead grass, tree branches, roof shingles, soap from the car wash, chemicals, paint, glass, chipped paint, Styrofoam, food containers, part of a rake, chunks of wood, chunks of concrete, and rusted pieces of metal. One group actually found a dead animal in the storm drain, and a group found a puddle of antifreeze on Main Street. Once again, in the City of Coshocton, anything that goes into a storm drain will end up in the Muskingum River.

Students also took a look around the storm drains they were labeling and were asked to list any evidence of people doing something to protect our water quality. Students listed: areas of grass planted, flowers, riding a bike instead of driving a car, drain at the car wash, trash cans placed along the street for people to dispose of trash properly, edging the property, and metal grates to catch trash before it enters the storm drain. There was also evidence that people have cleaned the storm drains around their property.

Students listed problems they saw that could be improved including: quit throwing trash out (there is a proper place to put your trash), clean storm drains (especially gather up the grass clippings when finished mowing your yard), and fix problems (such as car leaks). Students were amazed at the amount of cigarette butts laying around the storm drains and along the street. One group noticed a cup thrown out right in front of the trash can.

Our hope is that these students will take pride in knowing they helped educate others in the area about storm water runoff and drainage. We all need to do our part in protecting our water quality. Please keep in mind When it Rains— Coshocton Drains, and traveling with the rain is non-point source pollution. This pollution will flow to the storm drains, and the storm drains flow to the river. Non-point source pollution is non-regulated – it will take all of us to work together to keep our water CLEAN and SAFE!

	Students with Sacred Heart Elementary School label a storm drain along Main and Sixth Streets in the City of Coshocton.

By Deb Bigelow, Education Specialist

Rainfall and snow melt that enters our storm drains in the City of Coshocton can pollute the rivers in our community. The Three Rivers Bridge (beside McDonald’s) crosses the Muskingum River that is formed by the joining of t he Walhonding River from the West and the Tuscarawas River from the East. The soil that erodes from construction sites, the fertilizer used on lawns or farm fields, the trash that is left on the ground, or oil and salt washing off city streets all goes into the storm drains and causes non-point sou rce pollution. Many people think the water that enters the storm drain goes to the Waste Water Treatment Plant. This is NOT true in Coshocton. Water that enters the storm drain flows directly into the river. Simple Best Management Practices (BMP’s) followed by all of us can make a difference.

Some examples include:

• Never dump oil or antifreeze down the storm drain which flows into creeks and rivers. Recycle your used motor oil. AutoZone, Advanced Auto, and the Coshocton County Engineer’s Office on CR 621 accept used oil. Contact Coshocton County Litter and Recycling for more information.
• Don’t let your car leave ugly oil slicks behind. Reduce auto emissions through regular auto maintenance, ride sharing, and use of public transportation. Fix oil, radiator and transmission leaks in your car.
• Don’t put trash and litter in the street; it will be washed to the river. Use a garbage can for your trash. Recycle reusable materials.
• Hosing dirt and pet waste away sends it into the drainage system and directly to the creeks and rivers. Sweep the dirt from your walk or driveway back into the yard with your broom. Pick up pet waste and dispose of it in the toilet or trash.
• Use the least toxic products available in your home or garden. Dispose of any hazardous home chemicals at approved household hazardous waste collection sites. A listing of sites and assistance is available through the Coshocton County Recycling at www.coshoctonrecycling.com .
• Don’t pour any paint or toxic material down the storm drain. Choose water-based paints such as latex. Wash brushes in your sink with water. If using paint thinner, reuse and recycle it. Solidified paint can be disposed of in regular household waste.
• Follow the directions and do not apply fertilizer and pesticides if rain is forecasted. Use pesticides and other lawn chemicals sparingly. Never double the dose.
• Don’t wash that grimy road dirt and chemicals down the drive and into the storm drain when you wash your car. Go to a car wash or wash your car in the grass.
• Never use streams or gutters to dispose of yard waste. Pick up and properly dispose of leaves and grass clippings. Start a compost pile with yard waste.
• Repair or replace malfunctio ning septic systems. Maintain your septic system. Have it pumped out every 3 years to remove sludge and scum. Do not use tank additives, and practice water conservation to prevent overworking your system.

By Deb Bigelow, Education Specialist

Eroding construction sites are a leading cause of water quality problems in Ohio. For every acre under construction, about a dump truck and a half of soil washes into nearby drainage systems unless the builder uses erosion controls. Problems caused by this sediment include:

• Clean up of sediment in streets, sewers and ditches adds extra costs to local government budgets.
• Property values are altered when lakes or streams fill with sediment.
• Nutrient rich sediment encourages weed growth and sediment laden water reduces water quality and also damages or destroys habitat of aquatic organisms.

The burden of dredging sediment from lakes and drainage channels is carried by the taxpayer.

Controlling Erosion is Easy

Erosion control is important even for home sites of an acre or less. The materials needed are easy to find and relatively inexpensive; straw bales or silt fence, stakes, gravel, plastic tubes and grass seed. Putting these materials to use is a straightforward process. Only a few basic controls are needed on most sites:

1. Preserve existing trees and grass where possible to prevent erosion 2. Place silt fence or straw bales on the down-slope sides of the lot to trap sediment 3. Place soil piles away from any roads or waterways. 4. Construct diversions on up-slope side of land disturbance and around stockpiles 5. Install stone/rock access drive used by all vehicles to limit tracking of mud onto streets/roads 6. Clean up sediment carried off-site by vehicles or storms 7. Use downspout extenders or splash blocks to prevent erosion from roof runoff 8. Seed and mulch exposed areas within 7 days after final grading.

Silt Fence being used to trap sediment on a construction site.

By Deb Bigelow, Education Specialist

Have you ever noticed those drains along your city street or in the parking lot of your favorite store? They are called storm drains and they were installed to drain the water from the impervious surfaces of our city. Roof tops, sidewalks, highways and parking lots are examples of impervious surfaces. Where does the water end up that goes into these storm drains? This water is called stormwater, and it flows directly into our local rivers and streams.

The runoff from stormwater can cause many problems in our community. As runoff moves across the land, surface residue from our activities is absorbed. For example, runoff from streets and parking lots picks up oil and grease dripped from cars, asbestos from worn brake lines and zinc from tires. Pesticides and fertilizers are collected from lawn surfaces, and soil is washed from unprotected areas. Any residue or substance found on the ground attaches to the stormwater runoff, and when that runoff reaches a body of water these harmful residues become pollution.

Water quality concerns and flooding are major issues when we think about stormwater. Stormwater that is untreated can cause human health issues, degrade water quality, increase erosion, and damage fish and wildlife habitat. Simple BMP's (Best Management Practices) keep this stormwater healthy as it flows into our local water bodies. Some examples of BMP's would include controlling erosion on construction sites, proper use of fertilizer and pesticides by following label directions and paying attention to the weather, proper maintenance of your vehicles to eliminate oil or other fluid leaking onto a parking lot, and proper disposal of pet waste.

Over the next several months, you will hear more from the Coshocton Soil and Water Conservation District about stormwater. If we all work together by taking small steps to protect our stormwater, we will keep the water clean in our community. If you have comments or questions about this article please call Deb Bigelow at 740-622-8087, extension 4.

Coshocton Soil and Water Conservation District and Coshocton City Council approved a Cooperative Working Agreement to establish a framework to achieve shared goals relating to implementing the City of Coshocton’s Storm Water Management Plan (SWMP). Coshocton SWCD and City of Coshocton will share their resources to implement a SWMP to meet the requirements of the Federal Phase II Storm Water Regulations.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is regulating operators of small municipal separate storm sewer systems (MS4) to implement a stormwater management program to meet conditions of its National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) stormwater permit. These regulations require cities to develop and implement Storm Water Management Plans in order to receive their permits. Coshocton SWCD and the City of Coshocton have worked together to develop a Storm Water Management Plan and will now take the next step to implement the plan.

The 6 minimum control measures include: 1) Public Education and Outreach on Storm Water Impacts; 2) Public Involvement and Participation; 3) Illicit Discharge Detections and Elimination; 4) Construction Site Storm Water Runoff Control; 5) Post-Construction Storm Water Management in New Development and Re-Development; and 6) Pollution Prevention and Good Housekeeping for Municipal Operations.

This agreement will allow Coshocton SWCD to enhance their conservation education program. The program will include education field days, workshops, outdoor programs, on-site farm learning experience, academic programs for high school students, teacher workshops, public service announcements, newsarticles, development of a land user’s guide, stenciling storm drains, stream monitoring, and publish all the SWMP activities and progress on our website.

This agreement also allows us to share our resources. Coshocton SWCD already has the computer equipment, software and GPS units available to create a GIS database layer. Almost 5 out of 27 section city maps have been completed to date; 1,086 points have been located and downloaded to the GIS computer program. We will be working to have the database created over the next 5 years.

Other items listed in the SWMP include: development of an ordinance or other regulatory mechanism to require erosion and sediment controls for construction site storm water runoff; train local highway and water and sewer departments in best management practice use for construction activity; require sediment and erosion control on sites comprising of more than 1 acre following the City’s Storm Water Management and Sediment Erosion Plan; identify roadway erosion and sediment problems; and provide training programs for all city employees on the following subjects—importance of maintaining parks and open spaces; fleet and building maintenance/recycling; parking lots and streets/sweeping program and road salt usage; construction activities including reducing roadside erosion; illicit discharge detection and reporting; implement a regular cleaning and maintenance program for catch basins and storm sewers; and best management practices on new construction and land disturbances. The SWMP is available at the Coshocton SWCD Office.

The City’s Storm Water Management Plan can be a win/win for both entities with a goal to benefit the entire community. Water quality should be very important to all residents; even city residents receive their water from the city water wells which come from our ground water. Everyone lives in a watershed and is part of a watershed community. You influence what happens in your watershed, good or bad, by how you treat the natural resources—the soil, water, air, plants and animals. What happens in your small watershed also effects the larger watershed downstream. We are looking forward to expanding our SWCD program and working with the City of Coshocton to protect our Water Quality!

February 11, 2008