Clean Water Starts with Me

The objective of the Oak Creek Community Outreach Program (OCCOP) is to raise the awareness level, particularly of those living or recreating in the proximity of Oak Creek, regarding the consequences to littering and pollution, as well as changing the outdoor behavior of all visitors to Oak Creek.

Keeping Oak Creek Clean and Healthy

The objective of the Oak Creek Community Outreach Program (OCCOP) is to raise the awareness level, particularly of those living or recreating in the proximity of Oak Creek, regarding the consequences to littering and pollution, as well as changing the outdoor behavior of all visitors to Oak Creek.

We hope to educate residents and visitors to Oak Creek in following protocols that are expected of them in its use and to implement recommendations for outreach and education stated in the Oak Creek Watershed Improvement Plan (OCWIP).

The OCWIP has identified Oak Creek as not attaining water quality standards for E. coli. The presence of E. coli in Oak Creek is a concern because it is an indicator of the likely presence of fecal contamination which may cause human health problems.

To follow is a series of Messages with Protocols and Take-Aways we hope you will understand, try to practice, and help spread the word.

Agricultural Runoff

Livestock Manure

Protocol: Prevent livestock manure from polluting Oak Creek

Messages: Keeping livestock away from Oak Creek will decrease contamination (especially for downstream neighbors) and prevent erosion of banks.

Please make periodic checks of fencing, and timely repairs.

Takeaway messages:

  • Be a Good Neighbor! Please prevent your livestock from drinking in or around Oak Creek in order to prevent downstream contamination
  • Our environment begins with your land
  • Practice good horse keeping
Fertilizers and pesticides

Protocol: Minimize fertilizing, and use alternative herbicides & pesticides

Messages:

  • Herbicides kill indiscriminately
  • Alternative pesticides are better for the watershed environment
  • Herbicides and pesticides kill life forms in the Creek and degrade water quality
  • Runoff from over-fertilizing transports nutrients down into Oak Creek and causes algae blooms
  • Overuse of fertilizer and pesticides can damage the future entry into the regional aquifer
  • Nitrogen promotes algae and plant overgrowth in Oak Creek’s riparian corridor

Takeaway message:

  • Reducing fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides or using alternatives could be more cost-efficient and help improve the water quality of Oak Creek.

Animals

Dog Feces

Protocol: Pick up pet waste

Messages:

  • Dog waste degrades water quality and contaminates Oak Creek
  • When you pick up after your dog you are reducing the risk of bacteria and parasites being transported into Oak Creek and becoming a health problem
  • When you pick up after your dog you are helping to eliminate the spread of disease in wildlife
  • When surface waters contain fecal contaminants, people can come in contact with pathogens such as Cryptosporidium spp., Giardia spp., Shigella spp., norovirus and E. coli 0517:H7 when recreating in the stream, which may cause human health problems that include skin, ear, eye, gastrointestinal, urinary tract, respiratory, neurologic and wound infections
  • Dog droppings are one of the leading causes of pathogen contamination in streams; each gram of pet waste contains an average of 23 million fecal coliform bacteria, some of which can cause disease in humans.

Takeaway messages:

  • Scoop the Poop!
  • Pick up where your dog left off
  • Do your doody
  • When nature calls, make sure you pick up
  • Pollution prevention: it’s everyone’s job
Wildlife Feces

Protocol: Feeding wildlife disturbs nature’s delicate balance

Messages:

  • Sharing your picnic or discarding your food waste in the forest leads to increased wildlife feces in Oak Creek
  • Wildlife feces pollute Oak Creek
  • Sharing your picnic or discarding your food waste leads to changes in wildlife behavior and dependence on human food
  • Discarded food waste attracts more wildlife to the Creek area
  • Human food is not necessarily nutritional for animals and could impact their health in a negative way
  • Raccoons & skunks get into trash and increase pollution of Oak Creek
  • Raccoons & skunks are typical rabies carriers and could be a health hazard

Takeaway messages:

  • Leave No Trace
  • Do Not Litter
  • Pollution prevention: it’s everyone’s job

Erosion and Sedimentation

Irrigation Diversions

Protocol: Retain water on your property as a resource for horticulture

Messages:

  • Keep sediment/topsoil on your land by reducing runoff
  • Letting sediment flow from your land to Oak Creek increases E. coli
  • Sedimentation provides a home for E. coli
  • When sediment is disturbed in Oak Creek it can create health issues

Takeaway messages:

  • Keeping sediment/topsoil on your property will help to reduce E. coli in Oak Creek
  • Our environment… begins with your land
Building and Road Construction

Protocol: Control runoff from your property

Messages:

  • Instruct your contractors to make sure they have adequate controls in place to control runoff from your property during a storm event
  • Fresh tar is toxic and can wash down into Oak Creek
  • Chemicals from road tar are harmful to plants and aquatic life
  • Be cognizant that chemicals on roads can leach into Oak Creek
  • Use environmentally safe herbicides on roadways

Takeaway messages:

  • Controlling runoff from your property will help reduce contamination of Oak Creek
  • Our environment… begins with your property
Road Maintenance

Protocol: Prevent leaching of toxic road tar and herbicides

Messages:

  • Fresh tar is toxic and can wash down into Oak Creek
  • Chemicals from road tar are harmful to plants and aquatic life
  • Be cognizant that chemicals on roads can leach into Oak Creek
  • Use environmentally safe herbicides on roadways

Takeaway messages:

  • Control leaching of toxic road tar and herbicides into Oak Creek
  • Pollution prevention: it’s everyone’s job
  • Our environment… begins with your community
Low Water Crossings

Protocol: Inspect and maintain Creek crossings

Message:

  • Crossings of Oak Creek should be inspected and maintained frequently to prevent erosion and possible structural collapse

Takeaway messages:

  • Erosion of low water crossings can be dangerous, as well as harmful to the water quality of Oak Creek
  • Pollution prevention: it’s everyone’s job
  • Our environment… begins with your property
Unauthorized of “Social” Trails

Protocol: Hike only on designated trails or forest roads

Messages:

  • Unauthorized trails destroy vegetation, cause erosion, and sediment runoff
  • Unauthorized trails often cut through sensitive habitats and off-limit areas, and can be a threat to wildlife
  • Shortcuts may save seconds, but restoration can take years
  • Consider your own safety and stay on developed trails or dry, solid rock areas with good footing.

Takeaway messages:

  • Trailblazing can be dangerous, destroy vegetation and cause erosion
  • Take only photographs, leave only footprints
Jeep/Off-Road Vehicle (ORV) Trails

Protocol: Stay on designated trails/roads

Messages:

  • Maintain vehicles
  • Eliminate oil leaks and other petrochemicals
  • Use public restrooms
  • Be sensitive to the forest habitat

Takeaway messages:

  • Use common sense and stay on authorized Jeep/ORV trails/roads
  • Take only photographs, leave only footprints
  • Pollution prevention: it’s everyone’s job

Recreation

Human Feces

Protocol: Use public restrooms

Messages:

  • Human feces pollute Oak Creek
  • When surface waters contain fecal contaminants, people can come in contact with pathogens such as Cryptosporidium spp., Giardia spp., Shigella spp., norovirus and E. coli0517:H7 when recreating in the Creek, which may cause human health problems that include skin, ear, eye, gastrointestinal, urinary tract, respiratory, neurologic and wound infections.
  • Human feces degrade the scenic quality of the Oak Creek corridor and are offensive to other people.
  • Attracts wildlife, flies and leads to disease

Takeaway messages:

  • Scoop your Poop!
  • Use public restrooms
  • Leave No Trace
  • Pollution prevention: it’s everyone’s job
Trash

Protocol: Do not litter

Messages:

  • Take pride in the forest environment and treat it with respect as you would your own property.
  • Trash needs to be packed up and taken with you or put into receptacles.
  • Trash degrades the scenic quality of the Oak Creek corridor, and also could lead to chemical degradation, too.
  • Trash attracts wildlife and encourages fecal contamination of the Creek

Takeaway messages:

  • Pack in – Pack out!
  • Leave No Trace
  • Leave it better than you found it
  • Don’t use the forest as a public dump
  • Take only photographs, leave only footprints
  • Litter and It Will Hurt
Used Baby Diapers

Protocol: Washing diapers in Oak Creek causes pollution

Messages:

  • Human feces pollute Oak Creek
  • When surface waters contain fecal contaminants, people can come in contact with pathogens such as Cryptosporidium spp., Giardia spp., Shigella spp., norovirus and E. coli0517:H7 when recreating in the Creek, which may cause human health problems that include skin, ear, eye, gastrointestinal, urinary tract, respiratory, neurologic and wound infections.
  • Place in appropriate receptacles
  • Keep used diapers away from the Creek because they cause pollution
  • Human feces attract wildlife, flies and leads to disease

Takeaway messages:

  • Leave No Trace
  • Use Public Restrooms
  • Pollution prevention: it’s everyone’s job
  • Our environment… it’s the only one we’ve got so please treat it with respect

Riparian Buffers

Riparian/Creekside Buffers

Protocol: Planting invasive species negatively affects the health of Oak Creek

Messages:

  • Invasive plants (like Giant Reed) can change the flow and direction of Oak Creek which in turn can cause pollution
  • Invasive plants can be toxic to water quality and animals
  • Invasive plants are prolific and dominate as well as out compete native vegetation
  • When the Creek is choked then the chemistry of the riparian area changes
  • Invasive plants (like Salt Cedar) can increase salinity
  • Invasive plants are a wildfire hazard

Takeaway messages:

  • Research plants that will enhance and promote a healthy riparian buffer and contribute to the improvement of water quality in Oak Creek
  • Our environment begins with your property

Sediment Reservoirs

Protocol: Avoid disturbing sediment pools in Oak Creek

Message:

  • Disturbance of sediment pools on the bottom of Oak Creek that hold bacteria and viruses can cause human illness

Takeaway messages:

  • Be aware that some “swimming holes” in Oak Creek could house deposits of sediment that may cause human illness when disturbed
  • Pollution prevention: it’s everyone’s job

Urban Areas

Stormwater Runoff

Protocol: Retain stormwater on your property as a valuable resource for landscaping

Messages:

  • Runoff transports sediment/top soil, fertilizer, pesticides, herbicides, and pet waste into Oak Creek
  • Alternative pesticides and herbicides are better for the watershed environment
  • Utilize composting, rain gutters and rain barrels
  • Runoff from over-fertilizing transports nutrients down into Oak Creek and causes algae blooms
  • Overuse of fertilizer and pesticides can damage the future entry into the regional aquifer
  • Nitrogen promotes algae and plant overgrowth in Oak Creek’s riparian corridor
  • Dog droppings are one of the leading causes of pathogen contamination in streams; each gram of dog poop has more than 20 million E. coli bacteria colonies in it (not to mention the nitrogen and phosphorus).

Takeaway messages:

  • Good stewardship of your property will reduce pollutants being transported to Oak Creek by stormwater runoff.
  • Please don’t feed the storm drain
  • Our environment… begins with your yard

Wastewater

Sewer System

Protocol: Keep your sewer system maintained

Messages:

  • Know the location of your sewer pipes
  • Inadequate maintenance of a sewer system can cause blockage and backup
  • Dispose of pharmaceutical drugs at authorized locations
  • Storm events will transport sewage down to Oak Creek
  • Sewer odors are offensive and unhealthy

Takeaway messages:

  • Be responsible! Proper maintenance of your community sewer system will reduce public health issues and prevent pollution of Oak Creek.
  • Pollution prevention: it’s everyone’s job
  • Our environment… begins with your community
Residential & Commercial Septic Systems

Protocol: Keep your septic system maintained regularly

Messages:

  • Inadequate maintenance of a septic system may result in unnecessary overflows into the leach field and cause pollution beyond your property
  • Storm events can transport pollutants down to Oak Creek
  • Septic system sewage odors are offensive and unhealthy
  • Older septic systems should be upgraded to meet current public health codes
  • Keep your graywater confined to your property

Takeaway messages:

  • Be a good neighbor! Proper maintenance of your septic system will reduce public health issues and prevent pollution beyond the confines of your property
  • Pollution prevention: it’s everyone’s job
  • Our environment… begins with your property
RV Black Water Systems

Protocol: Keep your black water system properly pumped and maintained

Messages:

  • Do not empty your black water system into, or near, Oak Creek
  • Black water pollutes Oak Creek and is hazardous to human health and aquatic life
  • Properly dispose of black water according to RV Park and public health regulations

Takeaway messages:

  • Be a good citizen! Prevent pollution by pumping and maintaining your RV black water system.
  • Pollution prevention: it’s everyone’s job
  • Our environment is the only one we have so please treat it with respect
Tags: