Communities across Ohio are urging residents to “Be the Change for Clean Water” and take action during Stormwater Awareness Week, October 1-7, 2024. Stormwater Awareness Week offers Ohioans an opportunity to learn how they can take small actions to make a big impact on protecting surface and drinking waters. While rainwater is great for lawns and gardens, rainwater runoff can affect water quality in streams and rivers.
The Village of Richfield is taking action this year by planting trees at the Village Green and other areas in town! Trees are increasingly recognized for their importance in managing runoff. Their leaf canopies help reduce erosion caused by falling rain. They also provide surface area where rain water lands and evaporates. Roots take up water and help create conditions in the soil that promote infiltration.
Stormwater can push common household items – such as trash, lawn fertilizer, or paint, into local waterways, threatening our environment and clean drinking water. During Stormwater Awareness Week, Soil and Water Conservation Districts throughout Ohio are urging residents to take one or more of the following actions:
- Pick up trash in your neighborhood or a local park. It can be a family game to see who can fill a bag first.
- Refrain from applying fertilizer to your lawn or applying any oil or chemicals to driveways and sidewalks. This will protect the environment and your pocketbook.
- Keep grass blades at 3-4 inches. This will reduce runoff, as well as make lawns easier to maintain.
- Plant native plants. They have deep roots, which will help break up clay soil and increase the amount of water absorbed on a property, while benefiting birds, butterflies and bees.
- Plant a tree in your yard or install a rain garden. Trees can soak up thousands gallons of rain annually and a well-designed rain garden can almost entirely reduce stormwater from a property.
- Encourage local businesses to become conservation partners.
For more information please visit https://www.summitswcd.com/
For the full press release, click here
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