With all the craziness of 2020, our winter weather better not get any big ideas! If snow and ice are perhaps in our future, it is worth reminding ourselves that deicing materials can have adverse effects to our environment, especially our water bodies.
Most of the popular deicing products sold are chloride-based products which contain salt with different combinations. Sodium chloride, otherwise known as salt, is the most widely used deicing material. Sodium chloride is an effective deicer, is inexpensive, readily available and easily stored. Chloride which is present in many of the common de-icing materials can damage vegetation, destroy soil’s structure and produce erosion, can damage and kill vegetation and can contribute to automobile corrosion.
Common de-icing materials:

• Sodium chloride – Otherwise known as rock salt, is sometimes mixed with sand or other materials. It is most widely available.
• Potassium chloride – This product melts snow to 20 degrees F.
• Magnesium chloride - This product is effective to 5 degrees F. This product is considered less toxic to the environment.
• Calcium chloride - This product has the lowest temperature threshold, working to –25 degrees. This product tends to be easier on plant material if excessive amounts are applied. This product is considered less toxic to the environment.
• Beet Molasses – De-sugared sugar beet molasses is a agricultural byproduct that is created when sugar beets are used to make commercial grade sugar. A form of beet brine has become a useful tool for many highway departments.

While municipalities’ main priorities remain maintaining clear roads and highways while ensuring safe travel, many municipalities are looking at incorporating de-icing materials that are less impactful on the environment, and we can do that at our homes as well. Here are some tips for reducing or eliminating the use of deicers at your own residence:

• Reduce salt use by adding sand for traction, although care is needed to avoid clogging storm drains. Natural clay cat litter also works well for this purpose.
• Clear walkways and other areas before the snow turns to ice and avoid the need for chemical deicers.
• Track the weather and only apply deicers when a storm is imminent. If a winter storm does not occur, sweep any unused material and store it for later use.
• Only use deicers in critical areas and apply the least mount necessary to get the job done.
• Apply salt at the right time. Don’t wait until snow is falling to get started. It takes more salt to melt accumulated snow than it does to prevent accumulation.
• Apply salt where it will do most good, like hills, curves, shaded sections of road, and bridges. Use discretion when applying salt near sensitive streams or in drinking water source water protection areas.
• More salt isn’t necessarily better. Warmer roads need less salt, and when it is below 10º F salt will not help at all. Applying less salt is also a more economical choice. Snow clean-up costs are reduced, as are damages to cars, roads, and bridges.

Other tips to consider:

• If your source of drinking water is from you own private well, avoid applying salt near the well head.
• Don’t use fertilizers as melting agents. Runoff can increase nutrient pollution.
• Natural products such as wood chips, ash, sand, bird seed, cat litter and sunflower seeds will not melt ice but they can provide traction on slippery surfaces.

 
So when the next big winter storm strikes, strike back, but in an environmentally friendly way. For more questions regarding Warren County Soil and Water Conservation District programs and/or technical assistance on water or soil questions, visit http://warrenswcd.com or call, 513-695-1337.

Often we hear the phrase "mother earth" and think about all the ways the earth helps us survive.  Yet we must care for the earth the way it cares for us, and women are increasingly filling that role, whether it be on their residence property, through business practices, or through agricultural practices.  Women not only are taking a greater role in farming operations, but they play a critical role protecting the land that sustains us.  Did you know that 43% of U.S agricultural land is now farmed or co-farmed by women?!

Unfortunately, women face gender-related barriers to managing their land for long-term sustainability. And while women are increasingly playing primary decision-making roles on farms and many are inclined towards conservation, they remain underrepresented in their utilization of USDA and state-based conservation programs.

The goal of this program is to connect with other women landowners and resource professionals as we learn about the fundamentals of land conservation. Warren County Soil and Water Conservation District will be offering programming geared towards women and land conservation topics in 2021 and beyond.

Are you one of these women? Do you help manage land and need help understanding where to find resources? Please help us identify topics that will help you by  taking this short survey!

Whether you fish, kayak or just simply sit by the shores of a beautiful lake, having clean lakes and rivers is something we can all appreciate. But did you ever think about how our water travels and ends up in these bodies of water?

The USGS website (usgs.gov) explains how water travels best: “When rain falls onto the earth, it doesn’t just sit there, it starts moving according to the laws of gravity. A portion of the precipitation seeps into the ground to replenish the Earth's groundwater. Most of it flows downhill as runoff. Runoff is extremely important in that not only does it keep rivers and lakes full of water, but it also changes the landscape by the action of erosion.
In cases of developed areas where stormwater cannot infiltrate into the ground because of impervious areas, more runoff occurs. In urbanized areas, runoff must be collected by “extensive drain systems that consist of curbs, storm sewers, and ditches to carry stormwater directly to streams.  More simply, in a developed watershed, much more water arrives into a stream more quickly, resulting in an increased likelihood of more frequent and more severe flooding.”

“As it flows over the lands and other surfaces, stormwater picks up potential pollutants that may include sediment, nutrients (from lawn/agriculture fertilizers), bacteria (from animal and human waste), pesticides (from lawn and garden/agriculture chemicals), metals (from rooftops and roadways), and petroleum by-products (from leaking vehicles).” We also have situations where people dump prohibited  materials (anything that is not stormwater) directly into storm drains not thinking of the impact that it has down stream.  
Polluted stormwater runoff can be harmful to plants, animals, and people. Understanding that our water systems are all connected and by helping to keep our stormwater clean, can help keep our rivers, lakes and streams clean.
Help out our local water systems by keeping “only rain, down the storm drain.”

Here are some items that you can do to help:

• Plant trees
• Disconnect/redirect downspouts
• Use a rain barrel to capture rain from your roof
• Plant a rain garden
• Reduce impervious surfaces

For more questions regarding Warren County Soil and Water Conservation District programs and/or technical assistance on water or soil questions, visit http://warrenswcd.com or call, 513-695-1337.

(Article taken from USEPA – Composting at Home (https://www.epa.gov/recycle/composting-home) and Ohio EPA Citizens Guide to Composting - https://epa.ohio.gov/portals/47/facts/citizens_guide_to_composting.pdf )

During this unusual and challenging year many of us have looked for new hobbies to fill our time. Composting is a hobby that is not only fun, but it is beneficial to the soil and your wallet! Composting is nature’s way of recycling leaves, grass clippings, kitchen scraps and other organic wastes by converting them into a valuable soil amendment called compost. By composting at home, you’ll enjoy the financial benefits of free soil enrichment, reduce the amount of solid wastes sent to landfills and conserve resources.
Compost is organic material that can be added to soil to help plants grow. Food scraps and yard waste together currently make up more than 28 percent of what we throw away, and should be composted instead. Making compost keeps these materials out of landfills where they take up space and release methane, a potent greenhouse gas.
Composting at home is very easy and practical. Once you learn the basics, you’ll be turning out lush piles of rich compost in short order. Using compost yields faster-growing, stronger plants. The chief value in using compost is the beneficial effect on soil structure. Incorporating compost into the soil improves aeration and drainage and makes the soil loose and easy to work. Compost increases the organic matter content of clay and sandy soils, allowing them to better retain water and nutrients. It also helps control erosion, proper pH balance and plant disease.
All composting requires three basic ingredients:

• Browns - This includes materials such as dead leaves, branches, and twigs.
• Greens - This includes materials such as grass clippings, vegetable waste, fruit scraps, and coffee grounds.
• Water - Having the right amount of water, greens, and browns is important for compost development.

Your compost pile should have an equal amount of browns to greens. You should also alternate layers of organic materials of different-sized particles. The brown materials provide carbon for your compost, the green materials provide nitrogen, and the water provides moisture to help break down the organic matter.

What To Compost

• Fruits and vegetables
• Eggshells
• Coffee grounds and filters
• Tea bags
• Nut shells
• Shredded newspaper
• Cardboard
• Paper
• Yard trimmings
• Grass clippings
• Houseplants
• Hay and straw
• Leaves
• Sawdust
• Wood chips
• Cotton and Wool Rags
• Dryer and vacuum cleaner lint
• Hair and fur
• Fireplace ashes

 
What Not To Compost and Why

• Black walnut tree leaves or twigs
  - Releases substances that might be harmful to plants
• Coal or charcoal ash
  - Might contain substances harmful to plants
• Dairy products (e.g., butter, milk, sour cream, yogurt) and eggs
  - Create odor problems and attract pests such as rodents and flies
• Diseased or insect-ridden plants
  - Diseases or insects might survive and be transferred back to other plants
• Fats, grease, lard, or oils*
  - Create odor problems and attract pests such as rodents and flies
• Meat or fish bones and scraps*
  - Create odor problems and attract pests such as rodents and flies
• Pet wastes (e.g., dog or cat feces, soiled cat litter)
  - Might contain parasites, bacteria, germs, pathogens, and viruses harmful to humans
• Yard trimmings treated with chemical pesticides
  - Might kill beneficial composting organisms

 
Selecting and Building your Composting Site

• Select a dry, partial sunny spot near a water source for your compost pile or bin. Please take note that full sun locations can quickly dry out a compost pile and keep materials from breaking down. Alternatively, if the pile is in a very shady location, the contents will not breakdown quickly.

• Add brown and green materials in layers as they are collected, making sure larger pieces are chopped or shredded.

• Moisten dry materials as they are added.
• Turn pile once a week for two or three weeks, then once a month until compost is ready to use.
• The optimal size of a compost pile is 3’x3’x3’ or one cubic yard.

• Once your compost pile is established, mix grass clippings and green waste into the pile. Bury fruit and vegetable waste under 10 inches of compost material.

• Optional: Cover top of compost with a tarp to keep it moist. When the material at the bottom is dark and rich in color, your compost is ready to use. This usually takes anywhere between two months to two years.
  

Compost can be made in just two or three weeks during the summer if the leaves and other materials are finely ground or shredded, turned frequently to provide good aeration and supplied with sufficient moisture and nitrogen.
For more questions regarding Warren County Soil and Water Conservation District programs and/or technical assistance on water or soil questions, visit http://warrenswcd.com or call, 513-695-1337.