Stormwater Awareness Week: Why you Should Care

Stormwater Awareness Week is a statewide campaign to raise awareness about stormwater issues which runs from October 16th to the 22nd in Ohio. During stormwater week, communities are encouraged to engage with social media posts, newsletters, and events that involve stormwater education. You can get involved in your community through several activities, including a neighborhood litter cleanup around streams or ponds, construction or maintenance of a rain garden, social media posts, or native tree and plant installations. Some simple things you can do around your community include picking up pet waste, fixing car leaks, and being cautious with fertilizer, pesticide, herbicide, and salt use.

Stormwater runoff is created when rainfall or snowmelt flows over land into storm drains and eventually our local streams, rivers, and lakes. Precipitation will soak into the soil if it falls on a grassy or forested area. In urban or developed areas, precipitation will not soak in and will instead flow off of the hard surfaces like pavement or rooftops, known as impervious surfaces. After heavy precipitation events in areas with lots of impervious surface, an increased amount of water will enter our local waterways, potentially causing flash floods and erosion concerns.

Stormwater is typically collected in a system of storm drains on streets and pipes underground. The stormwater runoff will flow into these drains and is piped directly to outflows in local ponds, streams, and rivers. In Butler County, it is illegal to dump anything besides rain water down storm drains. If you walk around a residential community, you may find labels on storm drains similar to the one on the right. Anything that gets dumped down these drains will go straight to the local waterways and can cause pollution. If you have any questions or spot illegal dumping, you can call the Butler County Storm Water District at 513-785-4120. Contact the Butler Soil and Water Conservation District to learn how to get involved in Stormwater Awareness Week!