STREAM CARE
You can buy streams.
You can't buy water.
If you take ownership of the land, the stream becomes "a stream on your property". But the water itself comes from somewhere upstream, passes through your property and goes to someone downstream. You only have tens of meters of water.
Therefore, writing here is not a call for environmental protection. I don't do to the bottom what I don't want the top to do to me.That's all I have to say.
WATERSHED
The stream is connected longer than you think
A 1m wide stream that flows through the site flows down into the main stream and eventually becomes a first-class river. According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism's "River Data Book 2025", there are 35,526 statutory rivers in Japan with a total length of 144,068.7 km. The countless capillaries at its tip are an unnamed stream.
There's usually someone downstream. Settlements drawing water for agricultural purposes, water outlets of simplified waterways, wasabi fields, fish farms, and fishing grounds managed by inland water fisheries associations. The customary water rights from before the Old River Law (Meiji 29) was enacted are estimated to be about 120,000 in the first and second class rivers in the country. (Data cited in the recommendation of the Ministry of General Affairs in 2001). If something happens upstream, it reaches those people.
As a sense of distance,Detergents and oils cannot be thinned even if they flow for several kilometers. In most cases, "there is no one because it is in the mountains" is not true.
DON'T
What shouldn't be in the stream
I'll even write the reason. If you don't know the reason, you can't judge when the situation changes.
Detergent, shampoo, toothpaste
Although it is written as "biodegradable", decomposition requires time and oxygen. Oxygen is used during the decomposition, and aquatic organisms are unable to breathe. Even in small amounts, the concentration does not decrease in small flows of flow, such as streams.
Here's what we're gonna do.The washing area is located more than 10 meters away from the stream, and it is permeated into the ground. If you wipe dishes with paper or cloth first, the amount of detergent will be greatly reduced. Don't spill the rice soup either.
Oil, especially chainsaw oil and gasoline mixture
It is the largest source of pollution that is easily overlooked. The chainsaw keeps emitting chain oil while it is in motion. In one day of use, several hundred ml are dispersed to the surrounding area.If you cut near a stream, it will go straight into the water. Mineral oil creates a film on the water surface and stops the supply of oxygen.
Here's what we're gonna do.If you use it near a stream,Vegetable chain oilPlease replace it with. It is two to three times more expensive than mineral oil, but it can be used for several days. Refill and mixture gasoline should be handled in a flat area away from the stream, with a tray laid out.
In our company's rental, when you ask about work near the stream, we put vegetable oil in the equipment.
Urination and wastewater
There may be a person downstream who is drinking the water from the stream. Escherichia coli can be detected even if it flows several kilometers. You'd be in trouble if they did the same thing to you downstream.
Here's what we're gonna do.If a building is built, a combined wastewater treatment tank should be installed. In the previous stage, they use portable toilets or compost toilets and take them home or treat them appropriately. The method of digging and filling the hole is subject to the condition that the hole is more than 30m away from the stream and at a height where water does not come when the water is increased.
Ash, charcoal, burnt residue from fire
Ash is alkaline and changes the pH of water. Charcoal does not decompose, so it remains as it is. It's not because it's natural.
Here's what we're gonna do.After the fire is completely extinguished, the cooled ash is either taken home or mixed with the soil in small amounts in a place away from the stream. Take the coal home. It is easier to clean up afterwards by using a fire pit and avoiding direct fire.
Raw garbage, leftovers, vegetable waste
It consumes oxygen in the process of decomposition. In addition, you call the animal. Once it is recognized as a feeding area, polar bears and coyotes begin to come. Not only you, but also your neighbors will be in danger.
Here's what we're gonna do.Take it home. You can bury it, but it will be dug up again.
Alien species are more likely to be introduced unintentionally.
I don't think we should release crabs or frogs, but most of them do. Seeds and eggs in the mud of boots and tools.. If you bring the equipment that you used in other waters into the lake, it is possible that white-tailed duck and cockatoo duck will settle there.
Here's what we're gonna do.The boots and boots that are in the stream in another place are brought in after they have dried. The release of specific alien organisms is prohibited by the alien organism law, and there are penalties.
Turbidity is the most common cause of turbidity.
This is the biggest impact, although it is not intentional pollution. When heavy machinery is used to move the soil, soil and sand flow into the stream on rainy days. The fine mud fills the gaps in the rocks at the bottom of the river.It destroys the breeding grounds of fish and the habitats of aquatic insects. Once it's filled, you can't go back until the next flood.
Here's what we're gonna do.Leave a strip of soil or vegetation between the stream and the workplace. On days when it is likely to rain, the soil is not left bare. When the formation is finished, it will return to green as soon as possible.
THINK TWICE
You should think about it before you do it.
It's not forbidden, but it's hard to take back.
solidify the stream with concrete
You want to protect the shoreline because you are worried about the collapse, but if you make the three sides of the shoreline concrete, it will cut off the flow of creatures, raise the water temperature, and prevent the water from penetrating the ground.And in the river area, permission is required. First, you should consult the department responsible for rivers in the municipality or village. In some cases, the method that leaves a gap, such as stacking stones or using wood, can last longer.
Cut down the trees along the stream
If you want to improve the view, you might want to cut it down, but the forests along the waterfront (seaside forests) create shade and keep the water temperature, keep the shore with their roots, and the fallen leaves feed on aquatic insects.When the water is cut, the water temperature rises and the shore is more prone to collapse. If you want to cut them, cut them a few at a time, and watch how they turn out. If the protected forest is specified, permission is required.
Turning the flow, building a dam
If you dig a new channel to bring water in, the water runs in an unexpected direction when the water increases. It affects not only your own property, but also neighbors and downstream.The installation of dams is a work, and a permit is required if it is in the river area.Start small, and judge after you've been through a few heavy rains.
Let the fish go.
You would like to release it with good intentions, but many rivers are managed by the Inland Water Fishing Association, and there are plans to release it. When another fish enters the pond, there is a genetic effect.There are rivers where you need a fishing ticket to go fishing. You should first check with your local fisheries association whether you are releasing fish or catching fish.
INDICATORS
The creatures in the water will tell you how it is.
In the "National Survey of Aquatic Life" of the Ministry of Environment and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, the water quality is judged by the kind of creatures that come out of the rocks on the riverbed. No test kit or tools are needed. It can also be used to see the bottom before buying.
When you turn the stone, put it back in its original position. It's a place where creatures live.
In addition,Even if there are creatures in 'clean water', it does not mean that you can drink it as it is.
If drinking is considered, water quality inspection is necessary.
RULES
The laws involved
| River law | Permission is required for the installation, excavation, soil filling, and water extraction of works in the river area. Many streams are 'ordinary rivers' which are not covered by the Rivers Act, but even in such cases, permission is often required by municipal regulations. |
|---|---|
| Waste treatment | The disposal of garbage and scrap material is considered illegal disposal. It's illegal, even if it's your own land. The punishment is severe, with imprisonment for up to 5 years or a fine of up to 10 million yen (up to 300 million yen for corporations). |
| Exogenous law | The release, keeping, and transportation of specific alien organisms are regulated. There is a penalty. |
| Forest Act | The permission of the prefectural governor is required for logging and transformation of land in protected forests. The permission of the mayor is required to set fire. |
| Fisheries Act and Inland Surface Fishing Adjustment Rules | In rivers where fishing rights have been established, it may be necessary to have a fishing ticket to catch fish. There are also limitations on the discharge. |
| Water Pollution Prevention Act | Although the law is mainly for business premises, it is involved when the facility is operated as a business. |
The operation of the decree differs by municipality. For the actual judgment, please check with the department responsible for rivers and forests in the municipality or village, the forestry department in the prefecture, and the local fisheries association.
CHECKLIST
Before we go to the scene, let me tell you this.
- The washing place is more than 10m away from the stream. I'll wipe the dishes and then wash them.
- If you're using a chainsaw near a stream, replace it with vegetable oil.
- The handling of the fuel and the mixture of gasoline is done by placing a tray away from the stream.
- The toilet is either a portable toilet or compost. If you're going to bury it, keep it 30 meters away from the stream.
- I'll take the ashes and the charcoal home.
- I always take the garbage home. You bury it, they dig it up again.
- Dry boots and tools used in other waters are brought back.
- When you move the soil, don't leave it bare before the rain.
- If you turn the stone, you'll get it back.
- Work, logging, water extraction, and discharge.If you get lost, you call the town hall.
OUR POSITION
We'll be honest about our position.
Sawa Bank is a site that introduces land with a stream. We are doing business that is made possible by the movement of the land. That is, we are not neutral about this story. I am on the most suspicious side when it comes to defending the stream.
Still, I put this page because if the stream of the land I introduced gets dirty, the project itself will lose its meaning. The value of a land with a stream is that it has clean water. Protecting and doing business are in harmony here.
That's what we're doing.
- On the property page, along with the information of the stream.I'll always write down what I need to check.。 We don't delete any information that's not convenient.
- When I rent you a chainsaw, if I ask you to work near the stream, I put vegetable oil in it.
- Our own land.Model stream landSo, I'll actually do what I've written here. What you can't do, you can't say.
- Don't say, "The water in the stream is free to use."
Don't do it.
- Using environmental consideration as a decoration to sell land
- It's like saying, "live with nature," and you don't see what you need to see.
We welcome your suggestions of errors or shortcomings in the contents of this page. Please inform us at info@sawabank.jp.