HENV-204: What is a Watershed?

Ashley Osborne | Sep. 13, 2024 (Minor Revision)

A watershed is an area of land that drains water to a single water body.
Watersheds are as small as a few acres draining into a stream or as large as several states draining into the ocean. Smaller watersheds join together to make larger watersheds.
Kentucky is divided into seven major watersheds, or basins. Knowing what watershed you live in is a first step toward protecting water quality.
To find your watershed, visit How’s My Waterway?
https://mywaterway.epa.gov/

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HENV-203: Stormwater

Carmen Agouridis, Ashley Osborne | Aug. 15, 2024 (Minor Revision)

As stormwater moves across lawns and paved areas, it picks up bacteria, nutrients, sediments, heavy metals, and chemicals before traveling through the storm sewers to our water bodies. Because the stormwater is not cleaned or treated, it creates harmful conditions for the environment and for us.

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HENV-202: Planting Along Your Stream, Pond, or Lake

Carmen Agouridis, Ashley Osborne | Aug. 15, 2024 (Minor Revision)

Kentucky has more than 90,000 miles of rivers and streams and thousands of ponds, lakes, reservoirs, and wetlands. You can improve your surroundings and the quality of your stream, pond, or lake by planting an area called a riparian buffer or buffer zone.

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ID-242: Central Kentucky Backyard Stream Guide

Carmen Agouridis, Amanda Gumbert, Chris Sass | Jul. 2, 2024 (Minor Revision)

Many urban homeowners are not sure what to do about the stream in their backyard. Who owns it? How can I take care of it? What plants are good for my streambanks? These common questions lead to some confusing answers. This publication is designed to help the homeowner of a backyard stream appreciate this resource, protect personal property, and improve water quality and habitat.

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ID-279: Understanding and Protecting Kentucky Wetlands

Amanda Gumbert, Tiffany Messer, Emily Nottingham | Jun. 10, 2024 (New)

Wetlands are areas where water either covers the soil or soil is saturated permanently or seasonally. Wetlands have soils that have developed anaerobic (lacking oxygen) conditions in the upper part of the soil layer, known as hydric soils. Plant species that have adapted to survive in these conditions are known as hydrophytes. Since water is essential for almost everything on earth, wetlands are one of the most biologically productive ecosystems on the planet and are home to plants, mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fish that are uncommon in other ecosystems.

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IP-73: Living Along a Kentucky Stream

Katherine Bullock, Amanda Gumbert, Lee Moser | May. 10, 2024 (Minor Revision)

Streams are a part of our rich natural legacy. That's why it's important to protect, improve, and preserve them for generations to come.

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4DG-1LO: Introduction to agriCULTURE

Rachel Guidugli, Isaac Hilpp, Ashley Osborne, Misty Wilmoth | Aug. 31, 2023 (New)

According to the U.S. Department of Education International Strategy Report (2012- 2016), in order for youth to succeed in the 21st century workplace, they must develop knowledge and understanding of other countries, cultures, languages, and perspectives. The overall mission of 4-H is to provide opportunities for youth and adults to work together to create sustainable community change. This is accomplished within three primary

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HENV-711: Homeowners Guide to Rainwater Harvesting: Rain Barrels and Beyond

Amanda Gumbert, Lee Moser | Jun. 30, 2022 (New)

Stormwater runoff is one of the many water quality and quantity challenges in urban settings. Urbanization increases the proportion of impervious surfaces (surfaces that prevent rainfall from soaking into the ground, such as roofs and driveways) in a landscape. Greater amounts of impervious surfaces increase the volume of stormwater runoff to storm sewers and local waterways. As stormwater flows across impervious surfaces, it can transport pollutants to nearby streams and rivers.

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HENV-708: Alternative Pavement Options for Residential Stormwater Management

Carmen Agouridis, Amanda Gumbert, Joe Luck, Lee Moser, Jonathan Villines | Apr. 22, 2022 (New)

Urban areas are characterized by impervious surfaces such as roads, driveways, sidewalks, and building roofs. Stormwater occurs when precipitation runs off these impervious surfaces. Stormwater can present both water quality and water quantity issues in urban watersheds. Water quality of local waterways is threatened when stormwater carries pollutants to streams and rivers; increased water quantity in these local waterways can damage streambanks, cause flooding, and create more water quality problems.

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HENV-710: Sanitary Sewer Overflows: Lexington, KY Remedial Measures and Helpful Tips

Amanda Gumbert, Lee Moser | Apr. 22, 2022 (New)

A sewer system is an underground network of pipes that carries sewage and wastewater from homes and businesses to a treatment plant. There are two types of sewer systems. Modern sanitary sewer systems are designed to be a separate network of pipes and infrastructure from those that manage stormwater; these are known as separate sanitary sewers. Some municipalities still have combined sewers that manage both sanitary sewage and stormwater in the same pipes; these are known as combined sewers.