>>ANNOUNCER: Promoting a healthy environment
it's the air we breathe -- clean
safe water... responsible management of our natural resources
we protect and restore
for sustainable future
environment matters
>>JOHN MAKEY: One of the
biggest strengths that we had in this area is
the people... it's both our biggest threat and our biggest strength. >>NARRATION: protecting and
preserving one of the state's
and the nation most historically significant rivers
we'll meet a group that's facing the challenges head-on
plus: >>CHILD: Well, we put - first we put the tree in
and we get it adjusted straight and
then we cover it up with dirt and pat the dirt down... NARRATION: and that's how you do
we visit an urban orchard to meet the young arborists who are helping
get it started >>GREG ADOLFSON: Hello everybody
and welcome to another edition of environment matters I'm Greg Adolfson
and I'm Kelley Gillenwater. As we told you last time
stormwater runoff is one of the leading causes of water pollution
and it's something that we all contribute to. >>GREG ADOLFSON: but there are steps we
can all take to help reduce and minimize its impact
and while installing a green roof on your home might not be a practical
choice
things like planning rain gardens and cutting down on fertilizers herbicides
and pesticides and cleaning up after your pets are easy things
any homeowner can do. KELLEY GILLENWATER: But what if you could catch
and store some of that water before it even reaches the storm drain
that's the idea behind a DEP program is becoming a popular
do it yourself project for many folks here in Charleston. The DEP's Jake Glance
joins us now
with details. JAKE GLANCE: Greg, Kelley the
average residential roof can produce more than 600 gallons of runoff
for every one inch of rain that falls on it. So what can you do with all that water?
Catch in a rain barrel...
>>NARRATION: When it falls here and in moderate amounts
it's a good thing, but when much of it falls
and too much of it ends up here, that's a problem -- especially in cities like Charleston
were storm and sanitary sewer systems
are combined. >>LEE ANN GROGG: We have flooding issues. we have flooding in our basements, we have
flooding in the streets of Charleston
we have sewer overflows when it rains and the sewers
system gets stressed and loaded, it back flows into the river
so it's really important. if we manage that water we
can cut down all those three big problems. >>NARRATION: one way to help manage that run off
is by installing a rain barrel and that's what the folks at the sold-out
workshop
are learning how to do. the DEP held 5
rain barrel workshop to the Charleston area this spring, and the available spots
went quickly. >>SHANNON LESTER: I love the program. It took me a year to actually get to this one
so - as you can tell -- everybody is excited about being here
>>NARRATION: the DEP supplies the plastic barrels and the kits necessary
to convert them to connect to a home's downspouts and begin capturing rainwater
participants pay a nominal fee to help cover the costs
and get a hands-on lesson and do it yourself
stormwater management. >TOMI BERGSTROM: it doesn't seem like much but if you can catch that
first inch
of rainwater that's getting flushed into our system
that's what really causes issues because it as a lot of energy with it. it picks up all
the trash, any contaminants, and it's flushing it down
into our waterways so if you can reduce that first inch of
water that's coming down, it can be really helpful. >>NARRATION: that's because
when it comes to water pollution the biggest contributors
are us. >>LEE ANN GROGG: The EPA states and justifies through a lot of their research that we
as individual citizens are the biggest polluters our waterways
we cleaned up industry - not to say industry doesn't pollute and not to say that
in a perfect world there's always going to be some pollution by
us just living here but
with our trash, with our animal waste that we don't clean up, with the cars
automobiles
oils -- all those things. We are the biggest polluter...
if we all managed our water, we won't have so much runoff. without stormwater runoff
we won't have so much pollution in our rivers. >>NARRATION: another benefit --
especially for gardeners -- the water's free
a rain barrel can hold enough water to keep your flowers and vegetables happy
in the hot months of summer. rain barrels are actually
pretty easy to set up. You can find kits at many home improvement centers
or order them online.
>>LEE ANN: We appreciate all the people that have taken part in the rain barrel workshops.
It's one small part
of stormwater management, but even a small step like this makes a big difference
>>JAKE GLANCE: experts say if your downspouts are connected directly to the storm sewer
system, disconnecting them is the one thing you can do
that, more than anything else, will help reduce your contribution to stormwater
runoff
they suggest adding extensions to keep the water at least five feet away from
the building's foundation
and directing the flow of water into grassy or vegetated areas so that it can
be
absorbed back into the ground for Environment Matters,
I'm Jake Glance. >>GREG: Thanks, Jake. Heavy rains earlier this month have organizers of
the annual OHIO River sweep expecting lots of trash along the shorelines ahead
of this year's cleanup
>>KELLEY: the cleanup organized by ORSANCO, the Ohio River Valley water sanitation
Commission
set for Saturday, June 20, at along the shoreline and the Ohio River and its
tributaries
the cleanup covers more than 3,000 miles of shoreline
in six states, including West Virginia. it's the largest environmental
event of its kind in the nation. this is video from last year sweep.
the DEP is coordinating about 20 cleanups here in West Virginia
including events in Brooke, Cabell, Hancock
Marshall, Mason, Ohio, Pleasants, Tyler
Wetzel and Wood counties. volunteers are still needed
you can find more information on the group's website ORSANCO.org
more than 17,000 volunteers took part in last year's cleanup
which netted over seven thousand times a trash and debris
the Ohio River sweep was first organized in 1989.
spring is a time for house cleaning
but what do you do with the things that just don't fit into a trash can?
>>GREG: things like all tires and appliances, for example
that's where countywide clean-up days come in
the parking lot at the Putnam County Courthouse in Winfield's a lot busier
than a typical Saturday afternoon.
a lot noiser, too. >>CHARITY FELLURE: it has been very busy
traffic has been nonstop which is a good thing, so we're excited...
>>NARRATION: Putnam County's spring cleanup usually happens in April
but was pushed back to May - something organizers say that's helped increase
the turnout
since folks have had a little more time to clean out the garages and outbuildings.
someone even dropped off an 18-foot boat
a far more common item this year: tires
>>CHARITY FELLURE: A lot of the tires from people who
buy property and they find a tire pit
or and just someone's just at
created an open dump and a bunch of tires and is nothing to get calls with
somebody wanting to bring in fifty tires at a time that
they found on their property and just need to dispose of it and don't want to pay the fee
normally take get rid of them so they can get rid them here for free
>>NARRATION: and cleaning up illegal tire dumps is not the only benefit
just ask these folks from Hurricane High School.
>>SARAH BLACK: well basically, our national honor society has decided
to come in volunteer for this event
to try and raise money for our club so that next year we can take field trips and order
more supplies for school
me recycle the metal off the rims
and then they raise money that way and that's how they give us some types of funds to help us with our program.
>>NARRATION: the DEP's REAP program kept its rim crusher busy all
afteroon. typically the crushed rims are donated
to group in exchange for day of volunteering. from the looks of this dumpster,
it's been a pretty productive afternoon for the group.
>>SARAH: it's been a lot of hard work but I think we've been able to keep up with these
guys back here
lifting the tires so - we'er doing a pretty good job. >>EMILY: Oh it's great. I'm so excited to earn
some money for our club and buy new art supplies and
funding to go to trips. So I'm really excited for what the future has for this club
>>GREG: officials in Putnam County say they try to hold two clean-up days
every year. for information about disposal events in your area contact
your local solid waste authority.
coming up, some new federal rules designed to improve rail tank car saftey
We'll have the details. >>KELLEY: Plus, a message of stewardship...
>>JOHN: by reaching out to the children educating them
they speak to their parents and it's a way of addressing the future and the present at the same time.
>>NARRATION: how one group's efforts are making a difference.
those stories and more when environment matters continues...