water

On the Road to Clean Water

Cuyahoga SWCD works with 50 communities in Cuyahoga County to keep them in compliance under their EPA stormwater permit. We provide a comprehensive education and involvement program to bring awareness to stormwater pollution and simple actions for resident to part of the solution.

Each year, we have a theme for our outreach – this year is On the Road to Clean Water. The methods that we use to manage and maintain our vehicles and our transportation routes – both roadways and waterways – negatively impact aquatic ecosystems both locally, at the watershed scale and in Lake Erie. Road salt and leaked automotive fluids directly impact aquatic life when it runs off into local streams. Litter tossed carelessly from car windows clogs storm drains, ensnares wildlife and adds to the growing plastic pollution problem in Lake Erie. Changing harmful transportation behaviors that have negative impacts on aquatic ecosystems will improve water quality in our community and in Lake Erie.

Throughout the year we will focus on the following messages thru presentations, events, targeted mailings, posters, articles, etc.

  • Road salt directly impacts aquatic life when it runs off into local streams. By adopting alternative deicing techniques and sensible salting strategies, the amount of road salt reaching local waterways will be reduced.
  • Automotive fluids that are leaked from vehicles or are improperly disposed of directly impact aquatic life when they run off into local streams. Detergents that are used to wash cars at home similarly run off to nearby streams. By properly maintaining vehicles and utilizing commercial car wash facilities, these impacts can be avoided.
  • Litter tossed carelessly from car windows clogs storm drains, ensnares wildlife and adds to the growing plastic pollution problem in Lake Erie.
  • We all live in a watershed and our actions on the land directly affect the quality of our water.

All of this information can be found on the Stormwater Education page on our website.

Our four articles are already on there –

Check back as we will have some great outreach tools coming soon!

Blog author: Amy Roskilly, Conservation Education Specialist

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