Washington Soil & Water

Conservation Corner

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A QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER PROMOTINGTHE ELEMENTS OF AWARENESS

Fall 2020

21330 SR 676, Suite E . Marietta, Ohio . 45750 740 . 373 . 4857

Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage

PAID Marietta, Ohio Permit No. 31

Washington Soil & Water Conservation District 21330 SR 676, Suite E Marietta, Ohio 45742 Return Service Requested

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Safely Discharging Swimming Pool Water– Kathy Davis

Have you noticed lots of swimming pools, large and small, being installed this year? Most likely caused by the closing of many public pools due to COVID. Labor Day weekend is the time many home-owners choose to winterize their swimming pools. Some will take their pool down completely, while oth-

ers will simply drain a small amount of water and cover it until next year. Unfortunately, the same treatment options that make your pool safe to enjoy, chemicals (chlorine or bromine), or minerals (salt), can be harmful to the environment, and require you to take precautions when discharging pool water or backwash.

Harmful?

Public wastewater treatment plants and private septic systems rely on microorganisms as part of their process. Any discharge that could potentially harm these microorganisms could have adverse effects on the systems. These microorganisms are particularly sensitive to salt.

Aquatic life and some vegetation can’t survive chlorine, bromine, or salt at the levels required in swimming pools.

Keep in mind that the storm drain system, made up of catch basins, pipes, and ditches all drain untreat-ed to waterbodies where aquatic life could be affected.

Options?

For chemical pools (bromine or chlorine): Prior to discharge, let the water sit for 2 – 4 days check-ing the levels until the concentration is less than 0.1 ppm (mg/l).

For saltwater pools: Saltwater pool water must be desalinated prior to discharge. F reshwater is

less than 1,000 ppm while saltwater pools are around 3,200 ppm. Dilute with freshwater to an ac-ceptable concentration (less than 1000 ppm) or use a commercial treatment process.

If discharging to a wastewater treatment plant, at any concentration, contact them prior to discharge

for any pretreatment requirements. If discharging to your septic system, or on the ground of your property, make sure the chemicals or

salt are at an acceptable level. If discharging at a point that leads to a storm drain system, make sure the chemicals or salt are at an

acceptable level. Contact the owner (municipalities, villages, county or state) of the storm drain sys-tem prior to discharge to ask about local requirements.

Suggestions…

Consider having your swimming pool pumped by a professional service.

Soil that has been contaminated with salt can be treated with gypsum. Consult with a landscape professional for soil treatments or replacement.

After removing saltwater pools, apply 2 inches of water to the location.

Be a good neighbor and keep water on your own property.

Avoid soil erosion…. release water slowly.

Consult with your pool manufacturer for recommendations.

For additional information contact Kathy Davis 740-885-3312

The USDA is an Equal Opportunity Provider, Employer, and Lender

With fall approaching, producers will soon begin to harvest their crops. With that, comes thoughts about

next year and improvements to be made in order to grow the best crops possible. Producers are also always thinking

about their ROI (return on investment). One of the most valuable things that can be done, and is potentially the big-

gest ROI, is soil testing. This allows producers to see where the nutrient levels are and to see what nutrients are

needed where. Under applying nutrients can hurt yields, while over applying can potentially harm the environment

and more directly affect the bottom dollar.

Washington SWCD has started a new program to help local producers with the process of taking and inter-

preting soil samples. With soil samples now being required for the cover crop program through the Muskingum Wa-

tershed Conservancy District (MWCD), we are offering this program to help make sure everyone meets that qualifi-

cation. If you have any questions about soil testing or are thinking about testing some of your fields, please give the

office a call or you can call Kendrick directly at 740-885-3311.

Soil Sampling-Kendrick Schwendeman

With the 2020 cropping season winding down, now is a good time to look at conservation improvements needed for the land you manage. Projects around the farm that you have been putting off, such as: spring developments, watering facilities, fence, variable rate fertilizer applications may fit into one of the conservation programs the Natural Resource Conservation Service offers. If you are unsure if they fit into one of our programs, give our office a call, or call Kendrick directly at 740-885-3311, to set up a time to meet and discuss how we can help you with your next project. Below is a quick summary of some of the financial conservation programs that can aid in getting those conservation practices put in place: EQIP: supports pasture, crop, forestry and wildlife improvements CSP: follows well after the completion an EQIP contract to improve land management CRP/CREP: Grassed Waterway development, pastureland improvements, cropland conversion. ECP: repair damage from weather extremes. MWCD: Cover crops, stream fencing, critical area seedings All these programs are available and most have a continuous signup window. Feel free to call the office and discuss enrollment over the phone. Or another option is to have one of the office staff members stop by your place to review options while visiting your land.

NRCS Program Update

Did You Know? More than 20% of the world’s oxygen is pro-duced by the Amazon rain forest. Surfaces shaded by trees may be 20-45°F cooler than the peak temperatures of unshaded areas. Trees increase property value. Within a 10-month timeframe, homes with street trees in Portland, Oregon, sold for $7,130 more and 1.7 days more quickly, on average.

Trees help reduce crime. Among minor crimes, there is less graffiti, vandalism, and littering in outdoor spaces with trees as part of the natural landscape than in comparable plant-free spaces. One large tree can provide a day’s supply of oxygen for up to 4 people. More than 180 million Americans receive quality drinking water from forested water-sheds.

As with so many events this year, amid the Covid-19 pandemic, the SWCD Annual Meeting has been cancelled. A special celebration was being planned for the 75th anniversary of the district, but all activities will be postponed until the 2021 banquet. The supervisor election will still be conducted, only by mail, email, and phone or by making an appointment at the of-fice to vote in person. Please refer to the Election article later in this newsletter for complete voting details. Otherwise, our employees are working in the office, so if there is any way we can be of service to you, please contact us.

Supervisor Election Voting Procedures The supervisor election will be conducted in a slightly different manner this year. You may still request an absentee ballot beginning on September 15th and have it completed and re-turned to the office by October 28, 2020. If you would prefer to vote in person, we have des-ignated a 14 day period in which you may stop by the office and cast a ballot. Those dates are Thursday, Oct 15th through Wednesday, Oct 28th. Be reminded that the front doors to the of-fice building remain locked, but we can allow you in the back door as long as a mask is worn.

Two candidates are on the ballot this year and they are Charlie Harris and Jarrod Eichhorn. Charlie currently serves on the board and is nearing the end of his first term as a supervisor. He is enjoying retirement after working with the ag community for several years. On the oth-er hand, Jarrod is a young producer with a good start establishing himself in farming, while also working a full time job away from the farm. Good luck to both candidates.

Remember, the board of supervisors is a very important component of the Soil & Water Conservation District as a whole. We still need your participa-tion in selecting a member of the community to govern our conservation ef-

forts. So please, contact the SWCD office to cast your vote!

Annual Meeting Info

Are you interested in hunting deer in the city limits of Marietta? Maybe you didn’t realize it was legal to hunt in the city. Because

of the overwhelming deer population, bow hunters are permitted, but only after taking and passing an archery test. Testing will be held on Saturday, September 19, 2020 at the archery range locat-

ed at Buckeye Park in Marietta. Testing will be conducted only one time, so plan to arrive between the hours of 9:00 AM and

12:00 PM.

Marietta City Bow Test