MANSFIELD — Sometimes the start of protecting local steams, rivers and lakes begins with ensuring that only rain goes down the storm drain.
That’s the message from the Richland Soil & Water Conservation District during the upcoming Ohio Stormwater Awareness Week set for Oct. 1-7.
Three representatives of the RSWCD — Director Matt Christian, technician Sam Foley and marketing and volunteer coordinator Zoe Baumberger — met with Richland County commissioners on Tuesday to accept a proclamation marking the awareness week.
According to the district, many people don’t realize that, unlike a sanitary sewer, water entering a storm drain or ditch is not treated.
“There’s no filtration or disinfection process. Stormwater simply flows (often through a system of pipes, culverts, and catch basins) to the nearest stream, lake, or river,” according to the district website.
“That means anything the water picks up along the way (from litter to oil) is carried into our local waterways. What goes down the drain goes into our environment,” the district said.
Baumberger said the local theme for 2026 involves ensuring storm drains stay clean of anything but rain.
“We try to prevent a lot of things from going down the storm drains,” she said. “In fact, on the way in (Tuesday), we saw an apple sitting on one of the storm drains.
“Just preventing things like litter, sediment, oil, salt …. any of those things going down the storm drain …. they do affect water quality and affects the habitat of our aquatic friends,” Baumberger said.
“Making sure that only rain goes down the drain and into our waterways is really important. We’re trying to promote that message this year and show off some best management practices that people can do to help out and prevent anything but rain going down the drain,” she said.
The RCSWD operates an MS4 program aimed at providing “best practices” for residents, businesses and more in terms or protecting stormwater runoff that doesn’t sink into the ground.
“As the runoff flows over the land or impervious surfaces (paved streets, parking lots, and building rooftops), it accumulates debris, chemicals, sediment or other pollutants that could adversely affect water quality if the runoff is discharged untreated. The primary method to control stormwater discharges is the use of best management practices (BMPs). In addition, most stormwater discharges are considered point sources and require coverage under an NPDES/MS4 permit,” according to the agency website.
An NPDES/MS4 permit is a Clean Water Act stormwater discharge license required for public separate storm sewer systems.
“Stormwater Awareness Week is just taking some time at the government level to recognize pollution prevention and what we can do (about it),” Foley said.
“This MS4 program is all about looking at, ‘Hey, what can we do at a government level, municipal level, and even grassroots (level) … the people.’ What can we do to prevent pollution?
“Our storm sewer is kind of, if you think about it, an expressway for pollution into our rivers and streams. Our storm sewer or catch basin picks up litter, trash, road salt (and) takes it right into our rivers and streams. So what can we do to limit what’s making its way into our various rivers and streams,” Foley said.
For example, he said, the RCSWD examines road operations and how much salt is applied during winter months.
“We are looking at our commercial construction throughout the county, inspecting those sites once a month, trying to limit sediment loss from these sites.
“At the local grassroots level, we’re doing public education and outreach with our community and just trying to inform the citizens of the importance of the pollution prevention and what people can do to limit what’s making its way into our rivers and streams,” Foley said.
Foley said the RCSWD is not opposed to new construction and improvements.
“There are a ton of best management practices that can be implemented. We are advocates for construction. We’re not here to slow down or impede construction.
“It’s really just putting some things in place to help limit the amount of sediment loss that occurs on site. You may see something called a sediment basin, an area on the site that we can direct all the stormwater to. It’s an area that can capture that sediment, rewater it, and discharge in an appropriate manner,” he said.
“We do have monthly inspections. We check in with superintendents or managers on the construction site. We’re really here to work with them and not against them.
“We’re, we’re advocates for growth, and it’s just doing so in a responsible manner,” Foley said.
