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Ohio EPA's Encouraging Environmental Excellence (E3) Silver, Gold and Platinum Awards and Ohio EPA's Recycling and Litter Prevention Grant Applications

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Do environmental terms sometimes sound like a foreign language to you? If so, you’re not alone. Many businesses and communities have difficulty keeping up with the latest environmental lingo. This feature will cover some common environmental terms you may encounter.

Storm water runoff is rain and snow melt that runs off the land and hard surfaces, paved streets and parking lots, directly entering streams, rivers and lakes. It picks up pollutants like chemicals, oils, trash and dirt from surface areas and from outdoor business activities, including outside material storage handling and production. Pollutants then enter water bodies and can degrade the quality of the waters and pose threats to human health and wildlife.

Many businesses have floor drains. Some are needed for day-to-day operations. Others are used for emergency purposes only.

Recycling opportunities at the Ohio State Fair expanded this summer thanks to an initiative by Ohio EPA and the Ohio Exposition Commission. Through DEFA’s Recycling and Litter Prevention Grant program, Ohio EPA provided funding for 10 Bigbelly recycling containers and the commission is purchasing 10 more units.

In 2001, Ohio EPA’s Office of Compliance Assistance and Pollution Prevention (OCAPP) and the Ohio Hospital Association (OHA) partnered to eliminate mercury from Ohio hospitals. OCAPP continues to participate on the OHA Environmental Leadership Council, providing updates on regulations and assisting with OHA’s Pollution Prevention University. OCAPP also helps evaluate potential recipients of OHA’s Melvin Creeley Award, an award that recognizes hospitals for promoting sound practices through environmental stewardship.

Ohio’s State Revolving Fund (SRF) programs are the Water Pollution Control Loan Fund (WPCLF) and the Water Supply Revolving Loan Account (WSRLA). Each has a program year — the WPCLF cycle is January 1 – December 31, while the WSRLA cycle is the state fiscal year, July 1 – June 30. Each program receives an annual capitalization grant from U.S. EPA. One of the conditions of the grant funding is that Ohio EPA produce a Program Management Plan (PMP) for each program.