PowerPoint Presentation

Managing Healthy Water

In Licking County, we are fortunate to have clean waterways. In fact, the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency recently tested our waterways and found them to be much cleaner than the state average. That is something to be proud of. This presentation is designed to help maintain our high water quality by explaining how water is managed by water and wastewater professionals, as well as how each and every one of us can help maintain healthy water in Licking County.1It all goes away

It is easy to not think about what it takes to have clean water to drink, to bathe in, and to wash our clothes. But where does the water go after we flush the toilet or after the water goes down the drain? It has to go somewhere.2The Waste Water Treatment System Sanitary Sewers

Once we send used water down the drain it travels through pipes and enters the wastewater system. If you have a septic system, the waste water goes into an underground storage tank on or near your property. Septic systems are often found in rural areas. In more populated areas, the waste water goes to the sewer treatment plant where bacteria are removed, and the water is more or less cleaned before it is returned to the surface water like a river. 3The Waste Water Treatment System Storm Sewers

There is another type of water collection system called storm sewers. These are the drains you might see along roads that rain water flows into during rain storms. This type of water collection system carries the water through a series of pipes and delivers it directly to area surface water without any treatment. 4Combined Sewer and Storm Water Systems

In some communities, the sanitary sewers and storm sewer pipes combine all the collected water from the drains in your house and the drains along the roads and carries the water to the waste water treatment plant where bacteria is removed and the water is returned to the surface water. Ohio had over 100 combined sewer system at one time and Licking County still has combined sewer systems. 5Non-Point-Source & Point-Source Pollution

These are pollutants that enter the water system. If you can see the pollutant entering the water, it is referred to as point-source pollution. Examples would be green sludge or raw sewage flowing directly into a river. Since it is easy to target where the pollution is coming from, it is easier to correct the problem. Non-point source pollution on the other hand is difficult to point to and thus difficult to control. Examples of non-point source pollution include automobile oil and grease on roadways that runs off into the water during rain storms. Non-point source pollution has increased with the use of chemicals on food crops and residential lawns. 6The Clean Water Act

To address concerns about water quality, the Clean Water Act of 1972 was designed to address among other things, pollution impacts of combined sewer systems in association with the US Environmental Protection Agencys National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System. 7Separate Storm Water Systems

Although building combined sewer systems is no longer permitted in the state of Ohio, it will be many years until all municipalities separate their systems. In the meantime, during major rain storms, combined sewer systems have a tendency to be overloaded. The massive amounts of water, human waste, and pollutants exceed the capacity of the sewer system and the untreated waste water overflows directly into area waterways including rivers and streams. This inevitable overflow is a source of pollution and can introduce disease-causing bacteria into rivers and streams.8Sanitary Sewer Ins / Influent

Consider all the things that go down the drains in your home, at your work place, in your school, and beyond. What goes down the drain everyday? What do you pour down the drain or flush every once in a while? How much detergent and soap do you use on an average day to wash yourself, dishes, and clothes? How often do you use cleaning products that get washed down the drain? How dirty is the water that goes to the waste water treatment plant?9Storm Water Sewer Ins / Influent

What about the water that goes into the storm sewer? How clean is that water? What might get picked up by the rain water and carried into the storm sewer oils and grease from cars, animal waste, herbicides and pesticides from lawns, maybe even things like used antifreeze or unwanted paint. What do these extra items that the rain water carries to our rivers and streams do to our water?10Sanitary and Storm Sewer Outs / Effluent

After the waste water goes through the sewer plant, the storm sewer, or the combined sewer system where does it end up? The water ends up in our surface water, our rivers and streams. So is this water clean? You might be surprised at the number of pollutants that end up in our rivers and streams that are not removed by the waste water treatment processes. 11Phosphorous

One of the concerns is Phosphorous. Phosphorous is used on crops, lawns, and flower beds. It is a nutrient that plants need to be healthy. When Phosphorous is put on plants right before it rains, or too much Phosphorous is put on plants, the excess can be carried away by rain water. If the area has combined sewer, much of the Phosphorous is removed in the waste water treatment process. If the area has separate storm sewers or no storm sewers at all, the excess Phosophorous might end up in the surface water. Too much Phosphorous in the water is a huge concern because it can lead to a lack of oxygen in the water and fish and other aquatic life dying. 12Herbicides

Herbicides are other chemical that can enter the waste water system the same ways as Phosphorous. Glyphosate is a very common herbicide used for weed control on residential lawns and right-of-ways. A large quantity of glyphosate has entered surface water since the 1990s because waste water treatment plants do not efficiently remove it in the treatment process. Both Phosphorous and Glyphosate are examples of non-point source pollution.13Prescription Drugs

Believe it or not, prescription drugs used by people and for livestock are a significant non-point source pollution concern. Since prescription drug production and use is increasing worldwide, the level of concern about what impacts these drugs will have on our water quality is high. These drugs enter our waste water through human and livestock excrement, but waste water treatment plants are not designed to remove them. Therefore these drugs enter waterways through the treatment plant effluent and can have detrimental effects on aquatic life and other wildlife that drinks from rivers and streams. 14Prescription Drugs

The long term exposure to low levels of prescription drugs on aquatic life is largely unknown, but these drugs have the potential to interact with each other in ways that have not been tested. Human thyroid disorder drugs can influence embyronic development in aquatic live and have other physiological impacts. Steroid estrogen and other estrogen disruptors have been found to reduce the reproductive potential of male fish. 15Over-the-Counter Drugs

Even over the counter drugs that you might take for a fever, headache or cough can also hurt aquatic life. Common items like ibuprofen and caffeine are found in 80% of water samples. Some of these prescription and over the counter drugs have been detected in Licking County surface water. Although we can control what we put into the waste water treatment system if we know what to do, not all things are controllable.16Naturally Occurring Challenges

There are just some things in nature that we cant control. As much as we try to control or predict the weather, it just isnt controllable. Major rain storms will happen and they can overload the waste water system and storm sewers which results in flooding. Another thing we cant control is fungus. There are naturally-occuring toxins in the environment. Mycotoxins are toxic substances produces by fungus and some cereal crops are naturally infected with mycotoxins. These toxins can naturally enter the water through rain runoff, and through human excrement if people are eating cereal that has this mycotoxin. 17The Waste Water Treatment Plants Role

So now that we know all these unwanted things entering our water, why isnt the waste water treatment system not taking care of these problem. Waste water treatment plants were designed to remove bacteria from the water they receive and return it back to area surface water, and they do a good job of that. Unfortunately, they are not designed to deal with all of todays inputs like prescription drugs and widespread herbicide use. Upgrades are costly and in some cases, there arent establish methods to take care of things like prescription drugs. So what can we do?18The Communitys Role

We can reduce the burden on waste water treatment plants by using simple conservation practices. In fact, you probably already do some of these simple practices like turning off the water when you brush your teeth or not pouring chemicals down the storm sewers. There are few conservation practices that the Soil and Water Conservation District likes to highlight. They are Rain Barrels, Rain Gardens, Proper Disposal of Drugs and General Water Conservation.

19Rain Barrels

Rain Barrels are food grade containers that are retrofitted to collect rain water from roof tops. By connecting them to your downspouts, you can collect a surprising amount of free and clean water.20Rain Barrels Benefits

Capture the water that normally would flow from your downspout and use it to water your plants and a garden. Even in times of drought, you will have a ready supply of water for your garden/plants. Plus, a decorative rain barrel can add beauty to your property.21Rain Gardens

Rain Gardens are attractive, landscaped areas constructed in depressions and planted with native perennial plants. They can be many different shapes and sizes. Their main purpose is to catch and filter runoff from driveways, downspouts, parking lots, roads, and other impervious areas. They recharge the ground water supply and reduce storm water runoff.22Why Rain Gardens?

The need for rain gardens is apparent in the way that development has altered natures way of managing stormwater. In an urban drainage system, paved and other impervious surfaces prevent water from soaking into the soil, increasing runoff. Approximately 30% of the rainfall evaporates, 15% is absorbed and 55% runs off. Comparatively, in a natural drainage system, water can soak into the soil and be absorbed by plants. Approximately 40% of the rainfall evaporates, 50% infiltrates and 10% runs off.

Beautiful & Native Rain Garden Plants

Since rain gardens help mimic natural conditions, the native plants including high bush blueberry, black-eyed susan, rattlesnake master, switch grass, butterfly weed and other attract wildlife by provide shelter and food. Birds, butterflies and other pollinators are especially attracted to rain gardens. Even if you dont have a space to install a rain garden, there are still ways you can help keep our water healthy.24Prescription Drug Disposal

Proper Disposal of Drugs is something every one of us can do. The US Department of Justice, Drug Enforcement Administration, Office of Diversion Control sponsors National Prescription Drug Take-back Days. The next event will take place on Saturday, April 28, 2012, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. This is a great opportunity for those who missed previous events, or who have subsequently accumulated unwanted, unused prescription drugs, to safely dispose of those medications. The US Food and Drug Administration also offers information on its website on how to properly dispose of unused and unwanted prescription drugs if there is not a Take-back event in your area. They advise that you take the drugs out of their container and mix them with coffee grounds in a plastic baggie so they are not attractive to children or animals. Then throw them out with your household trash. Do not flush medications unless specifically instructed to do so by a medical professional such as a doctor or pharmacists.

25General Water Conservation

There are so many ways to take care of our water. Plant trees and other plants that create spaces for rain water to percolate into the soil, recycle and compost to reduce trash that ends up in a landfill or accidentally in the water, talk with your family and friends about what you are learning and doing, look for water pollution and report your concerns to the Ohio EPA or your local Soil and Water Conservation District, and get to know you waterways by visiting them. Most important keep learning about how you can be a part of conserving our natural resources today for our childrens tomorrow.26AcknowledgmentsLindsey Grimm, Licking County RecyclingNortheast Ohio Public Involvement Public Education CommitteeRusty Schmidt, URS Corp. US Department of Agriculture, Natural Resource Conservation ServiceUS Department of Justice, Drug Enforcement Administration, Office of Diversion ControlUS Food and Drug Administration, Consumer Health Information

Special thanks to the individuals and agencies that provided content for this project and continue to help the Licking County Soil and Water Conservation District conserve natural resources today for our childrens tomorrow.Contact Us to Learn More

Licking County Soil and Water Conservation District (740) 670-5330 or information@lickingswcd.comPurchase a Rain BarrelSchedule a water conservation class including:Build a Rain Barrel WorkshopRain Garden Demonstration WorkshopStream Team Volunteer Water Quality Monitoring Training

Please dont hesitate to contact the Licking County Soil and Water Conservation District to learn more about water conservation and upcoming events. 28Keep Up the Good Work

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