Streamside Chats

Since the first big winter storm hasn’t arrived yet, we thought now would be a good time to let people know how they can manage their winter salt usage around their homes for safety in the slippery weather, and protect water quality at the same time.

We aim to inform people about safe salting practices that they can use every time it snows to keep their sidewalks and driveways snow and ice-free and safe, and also protect our precious surface and ground water. The main takeaway is that one 8-ounce cup of road salt will de-ice ten sidewalk squares, equal to 250 square feet. If we use more, it only ends up in the storm drain, streams, and lakes where it causes severe damage and death to aquatic plants and animals. So keep your sidewalk safe and our water clean by using road salt carefully and sparingly around your home.

This episode of Streamside Chats is all about autumn leaves falling on the ground and how everyone can become “Backyard Conservationists” by keeping the leaves out of the storm drains and streams. This episode mentions how the leaves negatively impact water quality by adding nutrients that cause algae blooms that reduce oxygen in the water and make life difficult if not impossible for the fish and bugs who live in the stream. The lesson to take home is that we can help avoid poor water quality in our streams and rivers by leaving the leaves on our lawns, chopping them up and adding them to grass clippings for compost, or using them as top dressing on our gardens over winter. Leaving the leaves will also provide homes for pollinators to overwinter in the sticks and leaf litter, thus completing their life cycle.

In the ever-changing urban environment, our local waterways are doing their best to keep up and handle the ever-increasing rainwater runoff created by the urban landscape. Join Summit SWCD's watershed coordinator, Stephanie, as she shares how the areas next to our streams are a key piece to solving water quality issues here in Summit County. Hear how land use changes affect the efficiency of our water network to move and store water. And learn about actions you can take both in your yard and throughout the county to help increase the resiliency of our water network!

Can something as simple as installing silt fence or a gravel construction entrance really improve the water quality in a watershed? It can and it does.

In this episode of Streamside Chats, join the Summit SWCD Stormwater inspector Alex Weber as he explains his job duties and takes you on a site inspection. Learn new terminology like “ BMP” & “ SWP3” and why they matter. Want to know what can you do to help? Listen in and find out!!

In this episode of Streamside Chats we shed some light on Soil and Water Conservation District facts such as: Their history in the United States, the types of work they do, the differences between districts and some other fun topics. So please join us and our special guest, Brian Prunty (District Administrator for Summit SWCD) as we have an enlightening conversation about SWCD’s!