New H2Ohio Sign-Ups!
We are pleased to announce enrollment is again open in Richland County for the H2Ohio Program for crop year 2025!
If you or a farmer you know missed out or passed up the first opportunity to participate in this program, now is a great time to join! A nutrient management plan accounting for all N-P-K nutrients is required to participate in the program. Applications will be taken on a first come, first served basis. The deadline to sign up is May 31s.
For more info, please visit our H2Ohio webpage or give Jordan or Evan a call (see contacts on last page).
Stormwater Permits, by the Numbers
RSWCD is the manager of Richland County’s Stormwater Management and Sediment Control Regulations. Any building projects that entail earth disturbance and/or new impervious surface are permitted through our office (applies to all unincorporated areas in Richland County, and the Village of Lexington, only).
Here is the first quarter of 2024 by the numbers, in terms of Stormwater permits issued by our office:
- Residential/Ag Permits (includes Residential stormwater permits, Fee Exemptions, & Permit Exemptions): 39
- Commercial: 8
For more info on our Stormwater Permit process and how to complete the process fully online using GeoPermits, view our documents!
We’re Soiling Our Undies This Year!
You read that correctly. This year, we will be burying at least one pair of underwear in each of Richland County’s eighteen townships in different types of soil. We’re enlisting the help of local landowners and partners to find a patch of earth and leave our undergarments in a hole.
Have we gone mad? Nope. This is a time tested experiment to showcase soil health. A healthy soil has good air and water flow, and is teeming with micro-biotic organisms, fostering an excellent environment for crops to grow in.
How will this work? Undies go underground in late spring. We wait sixty days. We dig them back up. We hang them up for everyone to see. A healthy soil is excellent at breaking down organic matter, like cotton briefs. We bet you get the idea.
Come see our soiled undies at the County Fair this year and learn about the importance of soil health!
MS4 Theme for 2024: “Pollution Prevention”
It’s 2024 and there is now a new MS4 theme! The OEPA (Ohio Environmental Protection Agency) defines pollution prevention as “any practice that reduces, eliminates, or prevents pollution at its source before it is created.”
Pollution has many negative effects on human health and the environment. The good news is, preventing pollution is something anyone can do. How? Capturing or slowing water down before it leaves your property! Both rain barrels and rain gardens are great and aesthetically pleasing ways of accomplishing these goals.
If you are interested in getting a rain barrel or rain garden, we can help you accomplish this! Discover more about rain barrel, rain gardens, and the MS4 program by clicking on the links below.
RSWCD Assisting the United States Dept. of Agriculture-Natural Resource Conservation Service (USDA-NRCS) with Field Work
RSWCD has begun doing more cooperative agreement work for USDA-NRCS (Natural Resource Conservation Service). This means that RSWCD and USDA-NRCS are teaming up to help implement federal cost-share programs in Richland County. Technicians Jordan Keller and Evan Stern are excited for the new work! And technician Matt Wallace has already been surveying waterways for USDA.
If you or someone you know are interested in USDA-NRCS cost-share programs, feel free to contact any of these technicians, District Conservationist Jason Ruhl or Soil Conservationist Jordan Miller for more information. Read more about the cost-share programs below.
Floodplains and You
What is a floodplain? A floodplain is an area adjacent to a river or stream that becomes inundated with water during times of heavy and or prolonged rainfall. Over the years these areas have been mapped to show areas of high, moderate, and low-flood risk in a series of zones. These maps are officially known as Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs).
Communities use FIRMs to set minimum building requirements for coastal areas and floodplains; lenders use them to determine flood insurance needs and costs. Building within the floodplain comes with many challenges which can be costly, especially if hydraulic & hydrologic (H&H) studies or additional permits are required. Additional building material costs (e.g. to elevate the entire structure out of danger) may also be necessary.
To view Richland County’s FIRMs you can go to the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA’s) Flood Map Service Center or visit our office.