Pollution Information
We are here to help!
Our office receives calls, walk-ins or emails regarding pollution complaints. We don't go looking for any pollution issues; we have to be informed by the citizens of Wayne County about any concern of potential pollution problems. We do not fine or charge anyone, we offer assistance and recommendations! We like to keep this at the local level: meaning we want to work with you and not have the Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) or the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (OEPA) get involved. Nevertheless, depending on the situation at hand, sometimes these agencies will have to be contacted.
We want to work with you in solving any issues here locally at the Wayne SWCD office.
A Manure Spill Exercise field day was performed on July 17, 2019 in Hancock County. Various staff from ODA , SWCD's and landowners attended to see the specific steps needed to take in case of a manure spill.
Manure Stockpiling
Requirements for a manure stockpile:
Must be solid manure with bedding (minimum of 20% solids) or dry poultry manure.
Planned stockpile cannot be stored for more than an 8 month period of time.
Must be located on soils that are deep to bedrock (>40 inches to bedrock).
May not be located on soils with a rapid or very rapid permeability (>2.0 in/hr.) in the topsoil, subsoil or substratum to a depth of 40 in.
May not be located on slopes greater than 6%.
May not be located on occasionally or frequently flooded soils.
Must be located a minimum of 300 feet from spring water collection systems, wells or sink holes.
8. Must be located a minimum of 1500 feet from any public surface drinking water intakes.
9. Must be located a minimum of 500 feet from neighboring residences.
10. Must be located a minimum of 300 feet from areas of concentrated flow such as waterways or surface drains.
11. Must be located a minimum of 300 feet from any private ponds or waters of the state.
12. Must be a minimum of 300 feet from a tile inlet or broken tile.
For more information, download the pdf's below:
Water pollution is when waste, chemicals or other particles cause a body of water (i.e. rivers, oceans, lakes) to become harmful to the fish and animals that need the water to survive. Water pollution can disrupt and negatively impact nature's water cycle as well. Sometimes water pollution can occur through natural causes like volcanoes, algae blooms, animal waste, and silt from storms and floods. A lot of water pollution comes from human activity. Some human causes include sewage, pesticides and fertilizers from farms, waste water and chemicals from factories, silt from construction sites, and trash from people littering.
For over 1 billion people on the planet, clean water is nearly impossible to get. Dirty, polluted water can make them sick and is especially tough on young children. Some bacteria and pathogens in water can make people so sick they can die.
Around 40% of the rivers and lakes in the United States are too polluted for fishing or swimming.
The Mississippi River carries around 1.5 million tons of pollution into the Gulf of Mexico each year.
Between 5 and 10 million people die each year from water pollution related illnesses.
Pollution in the water can reach a point where there isn't enough oxygen in the water for the fish to breathe. The fish can actually suffocate!
Sewage can also cause major problems in rivers. Bacteria in the water will use oxygen to break down the sewage. If there is too much sewage, the bacteria could use up so much oxygen that there won't be enough left for the fish.