Articles Tagged: Soil and Water Conservation District

Across towns and counties, road departments replace cross culverts every day. The motivation is usually sound. Aging pipes fail without warning, and a collapse beneath the roadway can create a serious safety hazard, not to mention an expensive emergency repair. Proactive replacement is responsible a…

In many cases, wetlands announce themselves clearly with standing water, saturated soils, and soft, mucky ground. However, some of the most regulated and environmentally sensitive wetlands are far less obvious. They may appear dry for much of the year, support grasses and shrubs, and even look suita…

Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System, or MS4, compliance is built on documentation. Whether you are demonstrating outfall inspections, tracking illicit discharge investigations, or verifying maintenance activities, a well-organized photo-log can be one of the most effective and defensible tools in …

A Look at the English Brook Delta in Lake George, New York Sediment is a natural part of any water system, but when it accumulates faster than a system can handle, it begins to change the waterbody in ways that are both visible and subtle. Excess sediment alters water clarity, transports nutrients, …

For decades, the ideal suburban yard has been defined by a single image, a uniform carpet of bright green grass, edged with ornamental shrubs and kept pristine through fertilizers, pesticides, and frequent watering. It is neat, predictable, and widely accepted as a symbol of care and success. But fr…

When crews encounter contaminated sediments during routine work, or when a concerned homeowner reports a suspicious odor or unusual discharge, the situation calls for immediate but steady action. Stormwater systems often collect materials from a wide range of sources, and although many sediments are…

Wetlands are often described as the kidneys of the watershed because they filter, slow, and transform the water that passes through them in ways that protect downstream ecosystems. This comparison is more than a poetic metaphor. It captures the essential truth that wetlands perform quiet but powerfu…

Natural streams, creeks, and drainage swales evolved to carry rainfall runoff long before culverts and pipes existed, and they remain one of the most efficient, resilient, and cost-effective elements in any municipal stormwater network. When a community plans for development or retrofit, treating th…

Stormwater management succeeds when the landscape itself is considered the first line of defense. Certain parts of that landscape offer outsized benefits or face outsized risks, and thoughtful planning around them is essential. Special Value Features are areas that deliver exceptional stormwater ben…

Riparian corridors, the vegetated strips that border rivers, streams, and lakes, serve as protective edges for both land and water. They filter pollutants, stabilize banks, slow floodwaters, recharge groundwater, and create habitat highways for fish and wildlife. When these corridors are degraded by…

Hydric soils, those that form under prolonged saturation and develop anaerobic conditions, are ecological powerhouses. They store carbon, filter pollutants, support wetlands, and buffer floods. Because they are already close to saturation, even modest increases in runoff volume or velocity can trigg…

What exactly is an SWCD? Created under state law in every state and most U.S. territories, nearly 3,000 locally led Soil and Water Conservation Districts now cover almost every county in the nation. Their boards, typically a mix of farmers, municipal officials, and at-large residents, design and del…