ESC Regulations and Permits

SWPPP Checklist for Construction Sites

Storm Drain Labelling

Ohio Storm Water Taskforce

Stream Stewardship

Grass Carp

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Urban Erosion and Drainage Issues

Doug Dirksing , Urban Specilaist

Jeremy Fruth, Urban Technician

The Urban Specialists address private property issues such as sediment pollution and control, drainage problems, and pond management. 

  1. My neighbor is running his water onto my property and causing problems.  What can be done about it?

  2. Is my property in a floodplain?

  3. How can I control the aquatic vegetation and algae in my pond?

  4. Is there someone you would recommend to build my new pond?

  5. What information should I be aware of regarding the construction of a new house?

  6. What information is available regarding drainage on my property?

  7. What information is available regarding pond construction and maintenance?

  8. Is someone able to come out to my property and offer some advice?

  9. What hydric or "wetland" soils are in Butler County?

  10. What are these 'Pond Clinics' I've heard so many good things about?

  11. What can you tell me about Triploid White Amur (Grass Carp)?

  12. What can you tell me about storm drains and pollution?

  13. How can I find a professional soil scientist?

  14. What is composting and how can I do it?

My neighbor is running his water onto my property and causing problems.  What can be done about it?

Most drainage complaints involve private property, and must be handled as civil matters. No county or township agency has authority to maintain or improve storm drainage faculties across an individual's property. They also don't have authority to make someone or his neighbor do anything.
There are provisions of the Ohio Revised Code (ORC) that address drainage problems.  Section 3767.13 of the ORC, in the Nuisance Law, prohibits any person from unlawfully diverting a watercourse from its natural course or state in a way that injures or prejudices others. The penalty for violation of Section 3767.13 is a third degree misdemeanor.
In almost all cases, the landowner must initiate the action to resolve the drainage dispute or make the drainage improvement. Alternatives an individual might consider to resolve a drainage problem are: 

  • Landowner may chose to do nothing and accept the consequences, such as continues flooding, flood damage, etc., and possible future litigation by a third party.  Many landowners do select this alternative.

  • The landowner may work voluntarily with other landowners involved in the same drainage problem, and try to work out an agreement to pay the necessary costs and construct the improvements.

  • The landowner may consult a qualified attorney to present a case for getting the drainage problem resolved in a court of law. 

Most often the landowner is trying to collect damages resulting from the neglect of others to properly address a drainage problem.  The Butler SWCD is not a regulatory agency; we do not have the authority to tell property owners what they can and can not do with their land.  An appointment can be made to discuss options with the person with the concern.

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Is my property in a floodplain?

Consultation of the Butler County Soil Survey or Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) maps are helpful in answering this question. The following soil map units and soil names are associated with flooding:   Ee-Eel, Gn-Genesse, Go-Genesse, Lg-Lanier, Rn-Ross, Sh-Shoals, and St-Stonelick.  

FEMA administers the National Flood Insurance Program and has issues of flood maps for over 700 Ohio communities including all 88 Ohio counties. The term "community" as used by FEMA refers to either a municipality or all of the unincorporated areas of the county.  FEMA issues two types of maps on which it has identified Special Flood Hazard Areas (SFHA) referred to as Zone A. The first map (called a Flood Hazard Boundary Map) is an interim map which remains effective only until FEMA publishes a more detailed Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM). Most of Ohio's flood-prone communities have already received their FIRMs. The remaining communities will receive FIRMs within the next two years.

Our office has a set of maps which cover the Butler County region. Office personnel can assist you in locating your property and prevent you from ordering the wrong map panel(s).

To order a particular map panel from FEMA's Flood Map Distribution Center, one must provide the Community Identification Number and the panel number. The community number is a six digit number which for Ohio communities begins with the digits:  39. A four digit panel code and a letter suffix follow the community code. For example, Panel 50 of Butler County's FIRM is 390037-0050B. Where a flood map can not be viewed prior to ordering maps, ordering only the community's flood map index sheet is recommended. The appropriate map panel can then be identified from the index map and ordered later from the distribution center.

Map Cost:
1 to 10 panels:  $5.00 (minimum charge)
11 panels or more:  $5.00 for the first ten panels plus $0.60 for each additional panel

Method of Payment:
Personal check made payable to "NFIP"
*Minimum Deposit Account of $25.00, and orders without payment will be returned to sender

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How can I control the aquatic vegetation and algae in my pond?

Methods for controlling aquatic vegetation can be lumped into three groups:  mechanical, biological, and chemical.

Mechanical control is simply the physical removal of plants. It consists of either pulling the plants out at the roots, or cutting the actively growing part of the plant. Pulling can be done by hand or with elaborate equipment. Cutting has limited application in most situations. Emergent vegetation can be cut with tools such as garden shears, weed whips (rakes), and gasoline powered trimmers (weed whackers) equipped with brush-cutting blades. Gasoline trimmers are a good choice for this type of work. 

REMEMBER: Never use electric-powered equipment around the water. Use of electric-powered equipment in wet areas can result in electrocution.

Biological vegetation control reduces the amount of aquatic vegetation by stocking plant-eating fish.  The fist most often used to control vegetation is the grass carp, sometimes called the white amur. Certified triploid grass carp were legalized for stocking in 1988 specifically for this purpose. These fish are incapable of reproducing in your pond. Grass carp stocking rates vary depending on the amount and kind of vegetation in the pond. For ponds with a surface covered by more than 60 percent vegetation, stock them a 20 fish per acre, but reduce the rate to 10 fish per acre for ponds with 40 to 60 percent vegetative cover, and to five fish per acre for ponds with 20 to 40 percent vegetative cover. Grass carp are not recommended for less severe problems. More fish can be added if these stocking rates do not provide adequate control. Wait at least three years after your initial stocking before deciding if you need more fish. Grass carp may not be effective for controlling milfoil, water meal, filimentous algae or pond lilies.

The most commonly used method of controlling vegetation is the application of chemical herbicides.  This approach has both good and bad points. On the good side, herbicides often provide quick and effective control, are easily obtained and applied, and safe when properly used. However, herbicide use is becoming more and more controversial due to growing concerns about accumulation of chemicals in the environment. Herbicides can be dangerous to both the applicator and the environment when improperly used. To ensure that herbicides will be effective, proper plant identification, herbicide selection, and herbicide application are essential. The most important aspects of using herbicides are reading the product label, carefully following application instructions, or contracting a licensed applicator to select and apply the appropriate chemicals. Herbicides can be categorized by the way they kill plants. The most commonly used products are contact herbicides, systemic herbicides and shading products. A contact herbicide only kills the plant parts that it touches. Systemic herbicides travel through a plant and eventually reach all parts of the plant. Shading products work by reducing the amount of light available to aquatic plants. Several commercial products are available that reduce plant growth by shading.  These contain safe dyes that color the water to a shade of blue.

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Is there someone you would recommend to build my new pond?

Since the Butler SWCD is a government agency, we can not suggest one business over another. However, a list of local businesses that we have worked with in the past is available in our office. It is up to you to contact the businesses you wish to deal with and work on your pond.

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What information should I be aware of regarding the construction of a new house?

Many times, the soil type and its capabilities are overlooked when planning to use the land. Some soils are not suitable for septic tanks or homes with basements, while others can support them. For a complete description of all soils located in Butler County, please stop in and take a look at the soil survey. 

Take a look at this brochure:

        Look Before You Buy (pdf)

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What information is available regarding drainage on my property?

Several different brochures and fact sheets are here which discuss drainage and runoff on provate property. Please look at the following online article. If you would like more details or have a question, please contact us.

        Drainage Around Your Home

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What information is available regarding pond construction and maintenance?

The Butler SWCD has a wide variety of fact sheets and other publications which focus on different aspects of pond construction, wildlife, fish, and plant life. Stop in and ask to see the "Pond Reference Guide". Some of the items on our "suggested reading" list include, but are certainly not limited to those listed below. There are efforts to building a collection of online versions of items in our library. 

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Is someone able to come out to my property and provide some advice?

Yes, but scheduling is tight. It's recommended that meetings be made at least one week in advance. With the county growing as quickly as it is, many people call for information and appointments. Spring is probably the busiest time of the year because of melting snow and heavy rains. 

Also, please keep in mind the advice that is given, may not necessarily be what you want to hear. Recommendations are made based on facts and resources, and the nature of the land. For example, you may want to build a pond in your backyard. But if the planned site has an inappropriate soil type or doesn't meet proper drainage criteria, the suggestion would be to rethink the pond and/or site.  

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What hydric or "wetland" soils are in Butler County?

There are only two official hydric soils in the county- Patton silty clay loam and Ragsdale silty clay loam. Check the Butler County Soil Survey for "Pa" and "Ra" for these soils.

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What are these 'Pond Clinics' I've heard so many good things about?

Two programs are held each spring to provide information about a variety of pond issues; management, stocking, weeds, wildlife, etc. See the calendar for this year's dates.

Before the program starts, someone is available for plant identification, so bring in a sample of your pesky plant.  There is no charge for this program.

 

 

 

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How Can I find a Professional Soil Scientist?

Visit the Association of Ohio Pedologists website at http://www.ohiopedologist.org/Information/ConsultantBrochure.pdf

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Developed with Microsoft FrontPage.  Written by Edsel Harrison Jr., Jennifer Deaton and Pete Berard
Copyright © 1997 Butler SWCD.  All rights reserved.
Revised: April 08, 2005.