January 2021   |   Issue No. 24
Add the Environment to Your 
New Year's Resolutions
    
Each new year, people often look for ways to improve their lifestyle. 
 
For some, that may mean eating healthy foods or starting an exercise routine. While it is essential to be physically fit, it's as equally as important to keep the environment you live in clean and safe. As you make your 2021 resolutions, we hopes you change your everyday habits when it comes to how they can impact our local creeks and streams. 
 
Consider implementing bringing some low impact development (LID) elements into your home. LID slows the flow of stormwater runoff and allows it to soak into the ground, thereby removing harmful pollutants from entering our streams, lakes, and rivers.
 
Some examples of low-impact development include:
  • Rain gardens
  • Rain barrels
  • Green roofs
  • Pervious pavers
  • Bioswale
To learn more about these examples and other elements of Stormwater Quality, go to www.tulsastreams.com  

Species Spotlight:
Bluegill sunfish
Lepomis macrochirus
 
The bluegill sunfish is a freshwater fish native to North America and is very common in Tulsa's creeks and streams. The bluegill usually hides inside old tree stumps and other underwater dwellings. This resilient fish can live in many different water depths and often moves from one to the other depending on the day or season. They can also survive in many different qualities of water. Therefore, they are not good indicators of water quality.
 
While their color can vary from population to population, they typically have very distinctive coloring, with deep blue and purple on the face and gill cover, dark olive-colored bands down the side, and a fiery orange to yellow belly. The bluegill also has a distinctive black spot at the base of its dorsal fin.  
 
Bluegills are omnivores and will eat anything they can fit in their mouth. Their diet includes insects, crustaceans, larvae, snails, and occasionally aquatic plants when food is scarce. They also play a crucial role in pond and lake management, keeping crustacean and insect populations low. A single bluegill population may eat up to six times its weight in just one summer.
 
Bluegill is one of the most popular sport fish in the U.S. They are a favorite among anglers. They play an essential role in the food chain and are prey for bass and catfish. However, their high reproductive rate often results in overcrowding of other species.
Plastic Recycling 

We are all familiar with the phrase, "Reduce, reuse, and recycle," but did you know the average American still throws away 167 plastic water bottles a year? Minimizing our daily consumption of plastics is much simpler than it seems.

We have the power to make manufacturers change the way they produce. How? By changing the way we consume.

The next time you are at the store, think of how you can cut back on the amount of disposable plastic you buy every week. 
  • Use a reusable produce bag. A single plastic bag can take 500+ years to degrade. Purchase or make your produce bag; be sure to wash them often. 
  • Stop using plastic straws, even in restaurants. If a straw is a must, buy a reusable stainless steel or glass straw.
  • Instead of buying a case of plastic water bottles - purchase a reusable water bottle or a water filter for your sink. You can also ask to use your reusable bottle when placing an order at some coffee shops.
  • You can also sack your groceries in paper sacks or try a reusable cloth bag. Some stores even offer discounts to individuals who use a reusable bag.
  • Buy boxes instead of bottles. Often, products like laundry detergent also come in cardboard, which is easier to recycle than plastic.
  • Reuse containers for storing leftovers or shopping in bulk. Don't use plasticware at home and be sure to request restaurants do not pack them in your take-out boxes.
  • Pack your lunch in reusable containers and bags. Also, opt for fresh fruits and veggies and bulk items instead of products that come in single-serving cups. 
Using Ice Melt Properly
With the arrival of winter weather comes the constant effort to keep roads, driveways, and sidewalks free of ice. But the methods to prevent snow and ice buildup can pollute our local streams. Your walk or driveway may not cause much harm individually but think about all the de-icing compounds applied throughout the area. All that runoff adds up to large amounts of salt and nutrients entering local waterways.
Freshwater ponds, lakes, streams and rivers are especially vulnerable. Salt is often toxic to animals living in fresh water and can also harm plants in your yard and along the roads.
Deicers come in several forms. Consider the best choice for your area.
  • Rock salt (sodium chloride) is the most commonly used but contains cyanide, as an anti-caking agent that can be toxic to underwater life and is the most harmful for plants.
  • Calcium chloride is considered a better choice than rock salt, because it does not contain cyanide, however, it can also harm plants. Calcium chloride costs about three times more than rock salt, but you only need to use about one-third as much.
  • Magnesium chloride is considered the least toxic deicing salt because it contains less chloride than either rock salt or calcium chloride, making it safer for plants and animals.
  • Calcium magnesium acetate (CMA) is considered the best overall choice for safely melting ice. It is less toxic than deicers containing chloride but can cost considerably more than rock salt.
Never use fertilizer as a deicer. Nutrients in fertilizer and urea-containing deicers can run off your property, polluting local waterways. Even rock salt can be applied in a way that does the job while causing the least amount of harm.
Here are some tips for applying deicer:
  • Spread deicer before snow and ice start to accumulate.
  • Remove as much snow and ice as possible before applying deicer.
  • Follow the label directions. If only a handful of rock salt per square yard is needed, using more isn't more effective, just more expensive.
Don't use rock salt within 5-10 feet of salt-sensitive plants.
Once you establish a dry, safe route to the house, block off slippery areas you won't be walking on!
Deicer is not the only choice. Alternatives for small areas of thin areas of ice include:
  • Warm water mixed with table salt or water conditioning salt
  • Sand to improve traction on slippery areas
  • If you can anticipate the forecast, cover small areas (such as your steps) with heavy, waterproof plastic or a tarp.
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