The program has two focuses: working with local universities to incorporate water quality monitoring into coursework, and a community-based volunteer initiative where five sites are monitored monthly.

Please click here to download the Euclid Creek Volunteer Monitoring Program brochure.

Other Volunteer Opportunities - for Community Groups and Family Fun!

If your volunteer organization, boy or girl scout troop or school would like to get involved please call the Euclid Creek Watershed Coordinator for more information about any of the following:

Stream Cleanups

Stream Monitoring

Storm Drain Stenciling

(click here for fact sheet)

Rain Garden Installation Projects

Invasive Plant Pulls

Rain Barrel Workshops

Friends of Euclid Creek

What is the mission of The Friends of Euclid Creek?
    TO PROMOTE the social welfare through the preservation and protection of Euclid Creek and its associate riparian areas.
    TO EDUCATE the public regarding the benefits and importance of preservation and protection of Euclid Creek through public dissemination of information and communication with public officials.
    TO ENCOURAGE cooperative interaction among all of Euclid Creek's watershed stakeholders in order to promote mutually beneficial solutions for the preservation and protection of Euclid Creek.

Attend a monthly meeting and JOIN!

Friends of Euclid Creek (FOEC) monthly meetings

First Tuesday of every month at 6:30 pm
South Euclid Community Center

1370 Victory Drive, South Euclid 44121

2012 Membership Form: Click here for the FOEC 2012 Membership Form

Friends of Euclid Creek website: http://www.friendsofeuclidcreek.org

FOEC BLOG website: http://foecnews.blogspot.com

Friends of Euclid Creek is on Facebook! 'Like' them next time you're on Facebook!

Euclid Creek Watershed Resources

Euclid Creek Watershed Update E-Newsletter
This newsletter is produced three times a year. Click here to view the Newsletter webpage.
If you have an article or issue to include in upcoming newsletters, please email or contact the Watershed Coordinator.

To receive Euclid Creek e-newsletters, email the Watershed Coordinator at cposius@cuyahogaswcd.org.

Euclid Creek Books

Euclid Township, 1796-1801: Protest in the Western Reserve, by Roy Larick and Craig Semsel

Published in October 2003 by the Western Reserve Historical Society and the Euclid Historical Society.

"Roy Larick and Craig Semsel team up to tell a story of our region’s early years from the perspective of the men and women who laid it out for settlement. The story is told using surveyors’ personal journals and field notes as well as Connecticut Land Company meeting minutes." (from Western Reserve Historical Society website)

Available from (checks payable to) the:

Euclid Historical Society
21129 North Street
Euclid, OH 44117
216-289-8577
$20.00 (includes shipping)

EUCLID CREEK (Images of America), by Roy Larick with Bob Gibbons and Edward Siplock

Published in 2005 by Arcadia Publishing.

Available at www.arcadiapublishing.com, or by email at sales@arcadiapublishing.com or at 888-313-2665. Also available from (checks payable to) the:

Euclid Historical Society
21129 North Street
Euclid, OH 44117
216-289-8577
$20.00 (includes shipping)

Drawing from numerous archives, Larick, Gibbons and Siplock have surmounted municipal boundaries to show the whole history of the Euclid Creek watershed—our important natural and cultural landmark. Learn about the story of a Great Lake tributary watershed based on motive power themes:

- Water mills turning virgin forest into villages and schooners
- Steam and rails taking bluestone and wine to distant markets
- Electrified rails filling summer resorts and country estates
- Early automobiles ferrying suburbanites to Tudor side streets
- Interstate highways funneling exurbanites into lifestyle centers

Euclid Creek, by Michael Ceraolo

Published in 2006 by deep cleveland press.

Available at www.deepcleveland.com, or at deep cleveland press, p.o. box 14248, Cleveland, Ohio 44114, or press@deepcleveland.com.

"This 130-page epic poem traces the origins of Euclid Creek and proceeds to illuminate hundreds of years of Northeast Ohio history as it meanders like the flow of water through people, places and events that have shaped the destiny of the land that we call home. A must read for denizens of the Western Reserve." (from Deep Cleveland Press website)

2006-2009 Euclid Creek Volunteer Monitoring Program Results

The Euclid Creek Volunteer Monitoring Program started in 2005 as a partnership with Cuyahoga Community College Eastern Campus, Ohio EPA and John Carroll University. Over the past five years, nearly 40 volunteers have been trained to collect chemical information to test such measures as turbidity, pH, dissolved oxygen and other parameters easily collected by volunteers. In addition, many schools and colleges have taken their students out monitoring in the creek like Ursuline, Notre Dame, Tri-C East, John Carroll and Collinwood High School. Volunteers monitor five sites throughout the watershed on a monthly basis. The goal of the data collection is to educate citizens about the importance of Euclid Creek, to understand its impairments, and to determine the types of pollution entering the creek and to gauge how the stream is doing over time.

Bill Zawiski of Ohio EPA analyzed data collected from the five sampling sites from 2006 through 2009. Volunteers made over 2000 observations about the creek and results were consistent across the watershed, meaning that no point-source issues like sewage plant discharge had occurred. Conductivity is a measure associated with sodium and chloride from salting roads in winter. Levels were elevated in winter months and began decreasing in spring, showing direct impacts to the stream from municipal deicing operations on roadways. Turbidity measures the clarity of the water which is affected by urban runoff and erosion /sedimentation, problems common in urban streams. High levels are detrimental to fish species and diversity. No one site had high levels of turbidity, which can be an indicator of construction happening upstream. The last measures analyzed were two nutrient elements, nitrogen and phosphorus, which were chosen to represent impacts associated with human activities such as fertilizer, yard runoff, and dog/goose/human waste. Phosphorous levels were above target levels which can cause algae blooms, and ammonia levels were below Ohio’s water quality standards which is encouraging as ammonia is toxic to fish and aquatic organisms. Click here for the full report.

Water quality data collected by volunteers mirrored impairments identified in the Euclid Creek TMDL, a report conducted by Ohio EPA to quantify water quality problems in Euclid Creek. The fact that we are collecting usable data capable of showing trends is extremely exciting and all of the dedicated volunteers and partners should be commended.

If you or your group are interested in participating in the program to help us collect even more useful data, please contact the Euclid Creek Watershed Coordinator.

2009 Euclid Creek Environmental Awareness Survey Results

The Euclid Creek Watershed Program (ECWP), supported by its partners the Euclid Creek Watershed Council, the Friends of Euclid Creek and the Cuyahoga Soil & Water Conservation District (CSWCD), conducted an environmental awareness survey in 2009. Households throughout the watershed were encouraged to complete the survey in order to help assess the level of awareness residents have with regard to common household activities and their potential impact on the quality of our local water resources. Answers provided will serve as a tool to develop water quality educational materials for target audiences, and will help to determine appropriate methods to deliver educational messages. To see detailed results from the 291 survey responses received click here.

Euclid Creek Bird Survey, 2003

The Kirtland Bird Club, along with members of the Friends of Euclid Creek conducted a bird nesting survey in June 2003.

Results of the survey are available on the website link http://www.geocities.com/Birds_of_Euclid_Creek/ (or click on the Great Blue Heron photo to be routed to the website).

The survey outlines the types of species and where they were found within the different habitats in Euclid Creek. Including, woodland, successional forest, wetlands, grasslands and urban areas. The survey shows that even in Euclid Creek, there are many places for habitat to live and thrive. Thanks to Anna and the Bird Club for this great effort and information on our bird species in the watershed.

Oil & Gas Well Informational Brochures

If you are a landowner who has been approached by an oil and gas industry representative, please view the following brochures for more information on resources available to you and things to consider when reviewing lease language.

Oil & Gas Brochure, General

Oil & Gas Brochure, More Detailed

The Geauga County SWCD also has a wealth of informational links if you want even more information (click here).

What is a Rain Garden?

Rain gardens are attractive landscaped areas planted with perennial native plants that do not mind getting "wet feet." Build in a saucer shape, rain gardens allow water to percolate into the ground. The benefits of rain gardens are multiple. Rain gardens:

- Help keep water clean by filtering storm water runoff before it enters local waterways

- Help alleviate problems with flooding and drainage

- Enhance the beauty of yards and communities

- Provide habitat and food for wildlife like birds and butterflies

Recent studies by the US Environmental Protection Agency have shown that a substantial amount of the pollution in our streams, rivers and lakes is carried there by runoff from practices we carry out in our own yards and gardens! Some of the common "non-point source pollutants" from our yards end up in our local waterways include soil, fertilizers, pesticides, pet wastes, grass clippings and other yard debris.

The first rain gardens were our native ecosystems. Before our lands were settled, rain was filtered through soils, roots, and plants in our native forests, wetlands, and meadows. Most of the water that entered our surface waters was cool, clean groundwater. Our wealth of streams, rivers and lakes was naturally clean.

When European settlers cleared the land and built communities, the natural water-cleaning systems were removed. Our streams and rivers became more and more degraded as water ran off the land instead of being taken up by plants, soaking into the soil, and filtered by soils and wetlands.

Rain gardens were invented as a way of imitating the function of these natural filtering systems that development removed. Infiltration was already in use, where storm water is stored to soak into the ground. However, the introduction of plants to the system was a new idea for storm water engineers.

Planting rain gardens is a great way to help our communities "bloom," making them more attractive places to live while maintaining watershed health!

Click here to see the Rain Garden Brochure for Homeowners.

For the detailed manual on installing a rain garden, which explains how to install a rain garden, including site and soil conditions needed, native plant recommendations, etc., click here - Rain Garden Manual for Homeowners - to download the .pdf (2,483 kb) or call 216-524-6580 for your own copy.

Four rain gardens were planted in the Euclid Creek Watershed Summer of 2006 with a Lake Erie Protection Fund Grant, see the detailed final report by clicking here: Putting Urban Landscapes to Work for Water Quality: Evaluating the Benefits and Challenges of Rain Gardens in the Euclid Creek Watershed

Current Rain Gardens in the Euclid Creek Watershed

Click on Rain Garden Location to see photos

Location	Size	Date Installed
Cuyahoga County Airport Administration Building, Richmond Heights	480 sq. feet	September 2011
Beachwood Middle School, Beachwood	200 sq. feet	October 2010
Brainard Park, Lyndhurst	200 sq. feet	September 2010
Mayfield School Board Building, Mayfield Heights	300 sq. feet	November 2009
Wildwood Lakefront State Park, Bioswale Project, Cleveland	2,250 sq. feet	June-July 2009
Hawken Middle School, Lyndhurst	200 sq. feet	June 2009
Schaeffer Park, Lyndhurst	300 sq. feet	September 2008
South Euclid - Lyndhurst Library, South Euclid	300 sq. feet	July 2006
Brainard Park, Lyndhurst	300 sq. feet	October 2006
Euclid Creek Reservation - Welsh Woods, Euclid	150 sq. feet	September 2006
Richmond Heights Kiwanis Lodge, Richmond Heights	200 sq. feet	August 2006

What is a Rain Barrel?

A rain barrel is a container used to collect and store rainwater that would otherwise be lost to runoff and likely diverted to a storm drain. Collected water may then be used to water lawns and gardens. Rainwater can be harvested in many ways. The catchment system described here is just one way to capture rainwater for usage in your yard.

Here are just a few reasons to use a rain barrel:

Water Conservation - Approximately 60% of our municipal water supply goes directly to watering our lawns. By using rain barrels, you lessen the amount of water flowing into our storm drains, sewer systems, and ultimately local waterways. This water can then be used during hot or dry spells to water your garden.

Protection of local watersheds - 70 million pounds of pesticides are applied to lawns each year, contaminating storm water (rainwater) runoff. Fertilizers and pesticides are the primary source of water pollution. By collecting rain water, you prevent that runoff from picking up and carrying these harmful pollutants into our local waterways.

Natural Gardening - Using rainwater to water your garden is natural and healthy. Plants and beneficial microbes like rainwater because it is naturally soft - free of chlorine, fluoride, and other chemicals.

For more information on Rain Barrels, including installation and maintenance, click here: Rain Barrel Fact Sheet (.pdf)

Or consider participating in a rain barrel workshop to help protect our watershed and to learn more about the benefits of rain barrels. Keep an eye out for future rain barrel workshops organized by Cuyahoga Soil & Water Conservation District or through partner organizations like Cleveland Metroparks, Nature Center at Shaker Lakes, and Cleveland Botanical Gardens.

Euclid Creek Beaches - Euclid Beach and Villa Angela

Living next to a natural wonder like Lake Erie is one of Cleveland's greatest assets. Yet, many articles have ranked Euclid Creek's beaches, Euclid Beach and Villa Angela, as two of the worst swimming beaches in the Northeast Ohio region due to high bacteria levels and among the top ten worst beaches in the country. A July 2009 report came out of the National Resource Defense Council (NRDC) ranking Ohio second in the nation for the number of coastal beach advisories due to water pollution problems. The report is available at http://www.nrdc.org/beaches.

Beach advisories are issued when high bacteria levels exceed standards allowed for safe swimming.

Our local water quality agencies are taking steps to enhance beach monitoring and research at Euclid Beach / Villa Angela (see Beach Update article in Spring 2009 Euclid Creek e-Newsletter), and upcoming plans to build infrastructure to decrease the combined sewer overflow events in the creek (the Euclid Creek Storage Tunnel Project).

After heavy rain falls, elevated levels of pollutants are carried over lawns, streets/driveways, and roofs and flow into our storm drains directly into our waterways (e.g. Euclid Creek).

Easy tips you can follow to help reduce polluted runoff are to:

- Clean up pet waste

- Fix automobile fluid leaks

- Reduce use of fertilizers, pesticides and insecticides - Ideally, use natural fertilizers such as compost for gardens, and if you need to use fertilizers and lawn chemicals, use them sparingly

- Install a rain garden or rain barrel to help reduce the amount of water getting into our storm water system

- Maintain septic systems

- Properly dispose of animal waste, litter, and toxic household products

Get involved!

- Participate in a Euclid Adopt-a-Beach Team cleanup - find them on Facebook!

- Participate in a Euclid Creek stream cleanups (Euclid Creek Stream Cleanup on September 10!)

- Join your local watershed group, like Friends of Euclid Creek.

- Become a Euclid Creek Volunteer Water Quality Monitor (contact the Euclid Creek Watershed Coordinator for more details at 216-524-6580x16)

You should also follow smart environmental and health practices when visiting beaches. Do not feed or encourage waterfowl. Waterfowl are thought to be a source of contamination at Villa Angela and Euclid Beach. Children in diapers are also a potential source of contamination.

The Euclid Creek Partnership effort will continue to work with local, state and federal agencies to keep you informed and to clean up our beaches to healthy levels so we can fully enjoy our natural asset.

For real time beach conditions at Villa Angela/Euclid Beach -

- Go to the NEORSD website: http://www.neorsd.org/ and look at lower left box entitled "Beach conditions".

- Or call the Ohio Department of Health (ODH) Toll-free Beach information line: 1-866-Ohio Bch (866-644-6224)

- Or go to the ODH BeachGuard website for beach advisory information, historic sampling results, monitoring.

A good rule of thumb is to avoid swimming after storms involving heavy rain or large waves.

Euclid Creek Beaches - Water Quality Advisories

Days that high levels of bacteria make beaches unsafe and could make you sick

	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010
Villa Angela	44	46	49	46	41
Euclid Beach	48	46	51	43	47

Source: ODH Website, Samples collected/analyzed by Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District

Other On-Line Resources

EPA Launches New Web Tools to Inform the Public About Clean Water Enforcement: Interactive Web tool allows the public to check water violations in their communities The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is launching a new set of web tools, data, and interactive maps to inform the public about serious Clean Water Act violations in their communities. Improving water quality is one of EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson’s priorities and in 2009, Administrator Jackson directed the agency to develop concrete steps to improve water quality to better enforce the Clean Water Act and to use 21st Century technology to transform the collection, use and availability of EPA data. The web tools announced are part of EPA’s Clean Water Act Action Plan to work with states in ensuring that facilities comply with standards that keep our water clean.

The new web page provides interactive information from EPA’s 2008 Annual Noncompliance Report, which pertains to about 40,000 permitted Clean Water Act dischargers across the country. The report lists state-by-state summary data of violations and enforcement responses taken by the states for smaller facilities. The new web page also makes it easy to compare states by compliance rates and enforcement actions taken and provides access to updated State Review Framework reports.

Interactive Map for Clean Water Act Annual Noncompliance Report: http://www.epa-echo.gov/echo/ancr/us/

State Review Framework: http://www.epa.gov/compliance/state/srf/index.html

Enforcement and Compliance History Online: http://www.epa-echo.gov/echo

Nonpoint Source (NPS) Encyclopedia

California's NPS Encyclopedia is a free on line reference guide designed to facilitate a basic understanding of nonpoint source (NPS) pollution control and to provide quick access to essential information from a variety of sources by providing direct hyperlinks to resources. The purpose of this on line resource guide is to support the implementation and development of NPS total maximum daily loads (TMDLs) and watershed action plans (WAPs) with a goal of protecting high quality waters and restoring impaired waters. Please visit the NPS Encyclopedia by clicking here.

Ohio EPA's On-Line Mapping System

If you would like to see Ohio Environmental Protection Agency's newest Geographic Information Systems (GIS) map features, click here. Information includes stream monitoring data, combined sewer overflow outfalls, NPDES Permits, and data for download including river mile maps, watershed boundaries, streams & rivers and land use information.

TPL's On-Line Mapping System - the Ohio Greenprint Gateway

If you have ever wanted to make a professional looking map without the expensive software, you now have a resource with access to the internet. The Trust for Public Land (TPL) created the internet-based Ohio Greenprint Gateway, a web-based Geographic Information System (GIS). The site has parcel-level information, natural resource layers and demographics for 20 counties in Northern Ohio. The intent of the website is to create regional priorities for conservation. There is a user-friendly training and you can access even more data with approval by the webmaster. Website Address: http://www.ohiogreenprint.org.

Green City Blue Lake's - Northeast Ohio Green Map

See Green projects going on around Northeast Ohio at the following mapping website: http://www.gcbl.org/northeast-ohio-green-map

Ohio Earth Resources Information Network (ERIN)

Earth Resources Information Network (ERIN) is an evolving network of tools that facilitate inclusion of Ohio’s soil, water and natural resource data into private and public land use decisions. ERIN provides this data in a single location, with a simple format and in conjunction with powerful analysis tools.
- Create customized maps and complete complex analysis using local and statewide data

- Watershed Reports - find your watershed of interest and view/print Watershed information reports

Go to “OhioERIN.com” and select “Watershed Report.”

You may use the address entry fields to find your watershed of interest, or scroll mouse to zoom.

Clicking anywhere on the map produces a watershed report for the selected 12-Digit HUCvideo tutorials to get you started

- Find and print Natural Resource reports and data

- Click on a parcel and find out soil type, geology, groundwater, etc...

National Tree Benefit Calculator

"Trees in urban areas provide a number of important benefits. They help to clean the air, curb storm water runoff, raise property values, sequester carbon and reduce energy costs" from www.treebenefits.com

To learn more about the benefits your street tree provides, you can now calculate the benefit by clicking here.

Center for Watershed Protection

"The Center for Watershed Protection works to protect, restore, and enhance our streams, rivers, lakes, wetlands, and bays. We create viable solutions and partnerships for responsible land and water management so that every community has clean water and healthy natural resources to sustain diverse life."

- The CWP has a fantastic website with many watershed resources at http://www.cwp.org/

- Make sure to check out the Runoff Rundown Newsletter on their website.

Website to Manage Unused Medicines

The National Community Pharmacists Association and Sharps Compliance Inc. have launched a new website to help divert prescription drugs from being flushed down the drain or being sent to landfills, where the compounds can leach into the groundwater. The website, www.disposemymeds.org, is part of the organization's national campaign. The site allows consumers to search for pharmacy disposal programs by state, city or zip code.

Harmful Algae Blooms

If you are interested in learning more about harmful algae blooms and their impact on Ohio's lakes, ponds and streams see the following resources:

- Ohio EPA's website: http://www.epa.state.oh.us/dsw/HAB.aspx or

- Ohio Sea Grant Fact Sheet: Harmful Algal Blooms in Ohio Waters

- Video on the basics of harmful algal blooms and effects on human health and pets: http://powerhost.powerstream.net/008/00153/HarmfulAlgalBlooms.wmv

Green Landscaping Resources

Cleveland Museum of Natural History resources: http://www.cmnh.org/site/conservation/LandscapingwNativePlants.aspx

Native Plant Society of Northeastern Ohio: http://nativeplantsocietyneohio.org/

WildOnes has great information: http://www.for-wild.org/

US EPA's websites on green landscaping and tips to having a Greener, Healthier Yard: http://www.epa.gov/greenacres/navland.html; http://www.epa.gov/osw/conserve/rrr/greenscapes/owners.htm

Good Nature Organic Lawn Care: http://www.whygoodnature.com/

Healthy Yard Clean Water website

Green City Blue Lake's new web series on ways you can keep our water clean, fix drainage problems and save money through following website: http://www.gcbl.org/water/healthy-yard-clean-water and here are links to specific topics:

- Backyard streams

- Good housekeeping

- Healthy yard Clean water resources

- Landscaping for less

- What to do with a wet backyard

- When to get a soil test?

Lake Shoreland Protection Resources

See EPA's Office of Water's new web clearinghouse for Lake Shoreland Protection Resources here, http://water.epa.gov/type/lakes/shoreland.cfm. It includes resources to protect and restore fragile lake shorelands and to promote better stewarship by lakeside property owners and others who recreate on lakes. The clearinghouse is part of an outreach campaign to educate the public and others about the key findings of the National Lakes Assessment (NLA). According to the NLA, poor lakeshore habitat and high levels of nutrients are leading stressors affecting the biological health of lakes. Among the key findings:

- 56% of our lakes are in good biological condition;

- More than one-third of our lakes exhibit poor shoreline condition;

- Poor biological health is three times more in lakes with poor lakeshore habitat;

- Nearly 20% of lakes have high levels of nutrients;

- Lakes with excess nutrients are 2.5 times more likely to have poor biological health; and,

- Microcystin - an algal toxin that can harm humans, pets and wildlife - is present in about one-third of lakes across the country.

In 2007, EPA, the States, Tribes and others partners sampled more than 1,000 lakes as part of this first-ever, national assessment of the ecological condition of the nation's lakes. For a print copy of the report (EPA publication number EPA 841-R-09-001) contact EPA's publications warehouse at 1-800-490-9198. To download a copy of the report or the data used in developing the report, please visit http://www.epa.gov/lakessurvey/. (Contact: Carol Peterson, 202-566-1304)

Green Infrastructure

City of Philadelphia's Green Infrastructure initiative - watch video here: http://vimeo.com/10756931

Recycling in your community in Cuyahoga County - (from Cuyahoga Solid Waste District Newsletter, Talking Trash, June 7, 2011)

Would you like more detailed information about the curbside or drop-off recycling program in your city? The 59 communities in Cuyahoga County contract for their own trash, recycling and yard waste services. In turn, a community knows the specific details about the services offered to its residents.

In Cuyahoga County, some cities collect and haul their own trash, recycling and yard waste. Some contract out for that service. Co-ops between communities also exist for disposal or recycling services. Contact your service department for specific details about the recycling, trash and yard waste services offered locally.

Greening up Golf Courses

For resources on golf courses and ways golf course superintendents, architects and managers can green their operations, see the following resources:

- EPA's Gold and the Environment initiative

- Environmental Institute for Golf - (click here for homepage)

- Golf Course Siting, Design and Construction information

- Environmental Principles for Golf Courses in the US (download here)

Euclid Creek Homepage