Special Event
October 14, 2004
The Butler County Storm Water District recently installed 98 storm drain labels in Ross Estates and adjacent subdivisions located just off Layhigh Road in Ross Township. The project was organized and executed by the Butler Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) while volunteers from Environmental Action Alliance provided the labor critical for public involvement and participation. Environmental Action Alliance is group of Miami University students concerned with local environmental issues, and their active involvement and effort in this project was outstanding.
Besides meeting goals set forth in Butler County’s Phase II MS4 Storm Water Permit, storm labels are best management practices (BMPs) intended to make urban and suburban homeowners think twice about dumping waste down their storm drains. Although regulations and new technologies have helped control many of the point sources of pollution, non-point sources of pollution, such as urban storm water runoff, collectively have become the leading cause of waterway impairment in Butler County and in the United States.
Some materials that people often unknowingly introduce into local waterways include oil, automotive fluids, paint products, automobile detergents, grass clippings, leaves, trash, and pet waste; additionally, contaminants such as fertilizer, pesticides, and sediments enter our storm drains as polluted runoff during rainfall events in these urban landscapes. Storm drain labels are intended to educate the public and prevent these types of illicit discharges.
Butler County has installed 205 storm drain labels so far this year in Liberty, Fairfield, and Ross Townships.
