Drainage problems?

Do you have a drainage problem, wet area or streambank erosion on your property?  Chagrin River Watershed Partners offers a wide range of resources for Orange Village residents and businesses on nature-friendly solutions to these problems. Interested?  Visit https://crwp.org/guide-people.

Orange Village is a member of Chagrin River Watershed Partners, Inc., a non-profit organization that helps the Village solve water management problems and plan for better development to protect streams and Lake Erie.

[Click here for Stormwater Education]

Creating a Watershed-Friendly Yard

Spring is here and that means it’s time to get outside and start enjoying your yard! Did you know that your yard can impact the health of the Chagrin River Watershed? A few easy landscaping techniques can go a long way to improving your own yard and helping our watershed.

You can find the techniques here.

RAIN, DRAINS AND YOU

Pollution Control for a Healthy Orange Village

Where does our water go?

All the water we use inside our homes goes directly to the septic system or to a sanitary sewer system and then to a wastewater treatment plant where it is cleaned and released back into our creeks, streams and lakes cleaner than when it started. What about all the water outside of our homes such as the rainwater that falls on our roofs, lawns, driveways, roads, streets, roadside ditches and parking lots? Where does this water go? It is not always easy to tell where this “STORMWATER” goes after it gets to the gutter, storm drain, street or ditch. The stormwater flows from these places to our creeks, streams, and lakes, BUT IS NOT CLEANED before it gets there.

The rainwater from our roofs, gutters, lawns, driveways, parking lots, roads, and roadside ditches picks up trash and pollution. This pollution includes oil and antifreeze that drips from our cars, excess fertilizer and pesticides from our lawns, litter, grass clippings, leaves, and pet waste. Once pollution is picked up by the rainwater it moves through gutters, storm sewers and ditches to our creeks, streams, and lakes where it can cause health and safety problems for us and the living things in them.

Because we live on or near Lake Erie, and most of Northeast Ohio’s rainwater flows from creeks and streams to the Lake, we not only affect the health our creeks, but the health of our Lake, its beaches, and our drinking water supply.

Rainwater from roofs, lawns, driveways, streets, roadside ditches and parking lots in Orange Village drain to small creeks that flow into the Chagrin River and then to Lake Erie. This rainwater has a direct impact on some of our greatest assets in this area, the Chagrin River and Lake Erie.

WHAT CAN YOU DO TO PROTECT YOUR WATERSHED?

WHAT IS A WATERSHED?

Click here to read the Cuyahoga Soil & Water Conservation District – Newsletter

Cuyahoga Soil & Water Conservation District offers presentations re:

  • Watershed Friendly Landscaping: rain, native and pollinator gardens
  • Soil Health
  • Tree planting and care
  • Pond Clinics
  • Watershed specific issues
  • And more….

For more information contact:

Jacki Zevenbergen
Stormwater Education Program Manager

Cuyahoga Soil & Water Conservation District

Suite 100, 3311 Perkins Avenue

Cleveland, OH 44114

216-503-1338

www.cuyahogaswcd.org

Orange Village is working to make sure that creeks and streams running through our community are clean and free of pollutants to help keep them, the Chagrin River and Lake Erie watershed a healthy place for our use and enjoyment. But there are many ways you can help keep our water clean, save money, and prevent problems. It is important that we work together to keep our creeks and streams healthy.


Lake Erie: DON’T WASTE IT

Each year we have an outreach theme and 2017 focuses on waste that comes off the land and into our waterways. Everyone lives in a watershed, and in Cuyahoga County everyone lives in the Lake Erie watershed. Because of this watershed connection, our activities at home, at school, at work and throughout the community directly impact not only Lake Erie, but also our local waterways. This year we will focus on the reduction of stormwater pollution from pet waste, human waste (Home Sewage Treatment System/Illicit Discharge), Household Hazardous Waste, Yard Waste and Commercial Waste (e.g., restaurant grease).

To find our more about our 2017 outreach program, visit the Lake Erie: Don’t Waste It page on our website.

RAIN BARRELS

What? You don’t have a rain barrel yet? We can help you with that! For the past ten years, Cuyahoga SWCD has been holding Rain Barrel workshops throughout the county. We have sold over 4,000 rain barrels for people to hook up to their downspouts to collect rain and save it for use on a sunny day.

A rain barrel is a container used to collect and store rainwater that would otherwise be lost to runoff and likely diverted to a storm drain. Collected rainwater may then be used to water lawns and gardens. At a workshop, the instructor explains the importance of rain barrels in curbing stormwater pollution and it is a hands-on workshop where attendees build their own barrels to take home to use in their lawns and gardens. Check out our Rain Barrel page for more information and a list of Rain Barrel workshops.