Union County Conservation District

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Union County Conservation District

• Rain Barrel Workshop

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Sponsors

• Pennsylvania Association of Conservation
  Districts
• Foodswing
• Pennsylvania American Water
• Thank you for your help!!

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Agenda

• Chesapeake Bay
• Non Point Source Pollution
• Rain Barrel Video
• Rain Barrel Manufacturing
• Installation Maintenance Options
• Questions and Answers

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The Chesapeake Bay

• Nation's largest and most productive estuary. The
  Bay provides recreational and commercial
  opportunities for humans and is "home" for many
  animals.
• Over recent years, the Bay has become a "victim"
  of pollution. Many Pennsylvania land use
  practices affect water quality in the Chesapeake
  Bay.

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The Chesapeake Bay Basin

• Stretches from upstate New York to Virginia. The
  drainage area covers 64,000 square miles or
  41,000,000 acres.
• Pennsylvania makes up over one-third of the
  entire Chesapeake Bay Basin, more than any other
  state.
• About half of Pennsylvania (52) lies within the
  Chesapeake Bay Basin.
• Within Pennsylvania's portion of the Chesapeake
  Bay Basin, the Susquehanna River drains 92 of
  the watershed.
• Three million people, or about one-quarter of the
  entire Chesapeake Bay Basin population, lives in
  Pennsylvania

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The Susquehanna River

• Flows 440 miles from New York through
  Pennsylvania and Maryland and into the Chesapeake
  Bay.
• The Susquehanna River has an average flow of 19
  million gallons of water per minute, the highest
  average flow of any river in the eastern United
  States.
• The Susquehanna River supplies 50 of the
  freshwater entering the Bay.

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Nutrient Pollution

• Caused by excessive amounts of nitrogen and
  phosphorus -- impacts local water quality and the
  Chesapeake Bay.
• Excess nutrients cause an overgrowth of algae,
  called algae blooms. Algae blooms deplete oxygen
  supplies and block sunlight needed by aquatic
  plants and animals.
• Pennsylvania contributes an estimate 36 percent
  of the nitrogen and 25 percent of the phosphorus
  entering the Bay.
• Animal manures and commercial fertilizers can
  pollute local waterways if applied in excess of
  crop needs.

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The Pennsylvania Chesapeake Bay Program

• A cooperative project between state, federal, and
  local agencies and organizations
• A voluntary effort of Basin landowners to help
  reduce agricultural runoff a nonpoint source
  pollution control program within Pennsylvania's
  portion of the Bay watershed.
• A technical and financial assistance program for
  farmers who are interested in installing
  prescribed management practices to reduce water
  pollution.
• An educational outreach effort teaching farmers,
  students homeowners, local governments, and
  private industries about Pennsylvania's
  connection to the Chesapeake Bay.

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Nonpoint Source Pollution (NPS)

• - is caused by rainfall or snowmelt moving over
  and through the ground. As the runoff moves, it
  picks up and carries away natural and human-made
  pollutants, finally depositing them into lakes,
  rivers, wetlands, coastal waters, and even our
  underground sources of drinking water.

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NPS Pollutants

• Excess fertilizers, herbicides, and insecticides
  from agricultural lands and residential areas
• Oil, grease, and toxic chemicals from urban
  runoff and energy production
• Sediment from improperly managed construction
  sites, crop and forest lands, and eroding
  streambanks
• Salt from irrigation practices and acid drainage
  from abandoned mines
• Bacteria and nutrients from livestock, pet
  wastes, and faulty septic systems and
• Atmospheric deposition and hydromodification

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Affects of NPS Pollutants

• the leading cause of water quality problems. The
  effects of NPS pollutants on specific waters vary
  and may not always be fully assessed. However, we
  know that these pollutants have harmful effects
  on drinking water supplies, recreation,
  fisheries, and wildlife.

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What Can We Do?

• Keep litter, pet wastes, leaves, and debris out
  of street gutters and storm drains--these outlets
  drain directly to lake, streams, rivers, and
  wetlands.
• Apply lawn and garden chemicals sparingly and
  according to directions.
• Dispose of used oil, antifreeze, paints, and
  other household chemicals properly, not in storm
  sewers or drains. If your community does not
  already have a program for collecting household
  hazardous wastes, ask your local government to
  establish one.
• Clean up spilled brake fluid, oil, grease, and
  antifreeze. Do not hose them into the street
  where they can eventually reach local streams and
  lakes.
• Control soil erosion on your property by planting
  ground cover and stabilizing erosion-prone
  areas.
• Encourage local government officials to develop
  construction erosion/sediment control ordinances
  in your community.

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What Can We Do Cont.

• Have your septic system inspected and pumped, at
  a minimum, every 3-5 years so that it operates
  properly.
• Purchase household detergents and cleaners that
  are low in phosphorous to reduce the amount of
  nutrients discharged into our lakes, streams and
  coastal waters.
• Manage animal waste to minimize contamination of
  surface water and ground water.
• Protect drinking water by using less pesticides
  and fertilizers.
• Reduce soil erosion by using conservation
  practices and other applicable best management
  practices.
• Use planned grazing systems on pasture and
  rangeland.
• Dispose of pesticides, containers, and tank
  rinsate in an approved manner.

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Questions??