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2023 Educational Campaign Report

The Colorado Stormwater Councils shared Education and Outreach program includes social media, radio, TV, print, online and bus advertisements, and public service announcements. Thank you to all of our members and partners who make this possible through their contributions and collaboration. Without our combined effort, our communities would be much more limited on the number of different media options integrated into our education and outreach programs. This report is a summary of all educational campaigns for 2023. 

Where You Leave Your Leaves Matters!

The amount of phosphorus in grass clippings generated from just one lawn mowing can produce up to 100 lbs. of unwanted algae if it ends up in our lakes and ponds. Leaf “litter” and landscape trash account for 56% of the phosphorus in urban stormwater, in addition to clogging storm drains and increasing debris in our streams and waterways.

Reusing, recycling, and composting your leaves keeps them from going to landfills, which helps the community meet zero waste and climate action goals, and can save community members money by avoiding extra charges on trash bills.

Foam in Waterways

Where is the foam from?

It is common for organic matter naturally found in our waterways to decompose, releasing fatty molecules (lipids) that produce the foam we see on the surface of the water. This happens every year, usually during the spring runoff season, but it can also occur during periods of high precipitation and high temperatures in summer and fall months. The foam is most apparent at locations where the water is naturally agitated by flowing over rocks or discharging from pipes. The foam produced may be more than a foot deep!

It’s Time to Talk About Dog Poop

In the United States, pet dogs produce 21.2 billion pounds of poop each year. All that poop is polluting water sources, both in urban areas and the backcountry, largely because dog owners aren’t doing a good enough job picking it up. Let’s look at the reasons why dog poop has become such a problem, and examine what we can do about it.

Why Dog Poop Matters

Two reasons: There’s too much of it and it’s full of bacteria and parasites. 

Leave No Poop Behind (Interview)

Research shows that most dog owners pick up after their pets in the street and at the local park, but often don’t take along a plastic bag when out hiking in the backcountry, assuming it’s no big deal. But Wes Siler, a contributing editor to Outside Magazine, tells host Steve Curwood that all that dog poop does add up to potential harm by introducing foreign bacteria and nutrients to forests, fields, and streams.

Transcript

[SOUNDS OF BARKING AND PLAYING DOGS]

Scientists don't know why one-third of U.S. rivers have turned yellow or green

Satellite images of rivers across the U.S. have revealed a troubling color-changing trend: Over the past three decades, one-third of formerly blue rivers have turned a shade of yellow or green. The discovery comes after an analysis of nearly 235,000 images taken from 1984 to 2018. Amongst the rivers that changed color, 56 percent were mostly yellow and 38 percent were mostly green.


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