Death by Stormwater Run-off

Water is killing our waterways! This was the message I took from Diane Cameron's informative talk and discussion last week. And it's not what's in the water, but the volume and velocity of water running down the impervious surfaces of our roofs and roads into the storm drains that's the problem. The creeks just can't handle this tsunami.

Here in the Little Falls watershed, where every day we have more and more impervious surfaces being created with bigger houses replacing smaller, new roads and sidewalks being built to meet the growing demand for infrastructure and infill development creating new roofs and parking lots, stormwater run-off is probably the major contributor to the decline of the waterways.

The good news, Diane reported, is that governments are catching on to the idea that managing the water before it hits the streams is an important part of the solution to saving our creeks, rivers and bay.

Diane pointed to several key things that residents could do to improve the situation on their property - all having to do with redirecting the stormwater away from the impervious surfaces - be they driveways, sidewalks or streets - and into the ground.

The cheapest and easiest solution was to use flexible drain pipes (those 4" black hoses) to carry the water away from your house and into your yard. Diane pointed out that a shade tree during the growing season can actually absorb most of the water. Actually planting a little grove of trees to take this water was the best solution - especially if the trees are canopy trees like oaks or poplars.

Another solution was for residents to build rain gardens. The county has a rebate program which grants up to $1,200. (I think the county's goal is 30 percent of homeowners to have rain gardens) The idea of the garden is to divert the water from your roof directly to this special garden that will allow the water to soak into the ground. Below we have listed some landscapers who could help you get started.

Using porous pavers instead of asphalt and concrete is another way to cut down the run-off. The county also has a rebate program for this available for new construction or for retro-fitting.

Municipalities can also build rain gardens and divert stormwater away from the drains. Curb-cut gardens are becoming increasing popular. Check out the Green Street Program in Portland to see what one city is doing. Make sure you down load the Green Streets tour map . It has fabulous pictures of all the projects. We could do this in the Little Falls watershed. Contact, Sarah at stormwater@lfwa.org if you would like to coordinate an effort to convince the county to give us curb-cut parks.

A big thank you to Diane from us at LFWA. She has promised to get me her talk in PDF form. As soon as I get it, I'll post it.

Sarah Morse
Blog master!

Rain garden designers:

Yolanda Del Buono (Yoli)
gwobonanj@yahoo.com
phone: (240) 506-6914
Rain Garden Design and Installation
Student at the GWU in Landscape Design Master’s program.

Carol Foster Hall
carol.f.hall@verizon.net
Rain Garden Design; advice on plant selections.

Kit Gage
kgage@verizon.net
Site Evaluation; Rain Garden Design; help with identifyng contractors/ volunteers; and with arranging for DEP-provided soil and plants.

Fran McClure
flmcclure@earthlink.net
Rain Garden Design; connections with other landscaping experts and contracting firms.

Holly Olson
hjo1629@hotmail.com
Site Evaluation; Rain Garden Design; Arranging for soil and plants.
Student in the GWU landscape design Master’s program.

Jenny Reed
jenny010@earthlink.net
Rain Garden design through her firm, naturalresourcesdesign.com.
Jenny and her partner, Lauren Wheeler, work with homeowners, the City of Takoma Park, and
the District Department of the Environment designing and implementing LID practices such as
pervious paving, raingardens, bio- swales and cisterns.

There is a part of the Montgomery County web site at: www.rainscapes.org that provides further information on the Rainscapes Rebates program. Pamela Rowe leads this program; her contact information is also listed below.


Pamela Rowe
pamela.rowe@montgomerycountymd.gov
Rainscapes Coordinator
Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection
Information on Rainscapes Rebate Applications, help with obtaining soil and plants.


Municipal Programs for Inspiration!

Green Streets Programs Across the Nation:*

Portland, Oregon:
www.portlandonline.com/BES/index.cfm?c=44407

New York, New York:
www.streetsblog.org/2008/02/14/greenstreets-of-new-york-new-and-improved/
and
www.nycgovparks.org/sub_your_park/trees_greenstreets.html

Seattle, Washington:
www.seattle.gov/UTIL/About_SPU/Drainage_&_Sewer_System/Natural_Drainage_Systems/Street_Edge_Alternatives/index.asp

Federal Green Highways Partnership: www.greenhighways.org/

Riders on the Storm: How to Catch the Rain in Public and Private Yards

Our creeks are dying and the water coming out of the sky is killing them. Every time it rains, water runs off the roofs, down the streets and into the storm drains. The volume and velocity of this water entering the creeks creates little tsunamis that wipe out life and cause erosion.

On Wednesday at 7:30, we are pleased to present a talk by Diane Cameron, Audubon Naturalist Society, about low-impact solutions like rain barrels, rain gardens and pervious pavers that residents and municipalities can initiate to keep the water out of the storm drains. Her talk will include a discussion of funding sources for stormwater control that are available to both residents and municipalities, as well as the current stormwater legislation in Montgomery County.

For those of you who don't know, Diane Cameron is one of the best environmental policy people in the country. With a Master’s in Environmental Engineering in 1987 from the University of Maryland, Diane has focused on Clean Water Act implementation, regulation, and public education. She is presently the head of the Montgomery County Stormwater Partners and Director of Conservation at the Audubon Naturalist Society in Chevy Chase.

The talk will be at the Somerset Town Hall, 4510 Cumberland Ave, Chevy Chase, MD. Refreshments will be served! If you have any questions, email us at info@lfwa.org

Looking for Stewards

Yesterday, I walked my dogs along the Little Falls Trail from Dorset Ave to Norwood Park. The colors are amazing, but the park needs so much work. Porcelain berry is smothering most of the trees, especially on the "creek edge" and along the western edge of Norwood park and the entire area needs cleaning and invasive control. However, as I passed fellow dog walkers and greeted friends and neighbors, I thought, if we could get an army of park users to spend just a few hours, we could free many of the trees and make a dent in the invasives.

This fits right into the steward program that LFWA is trying to launch. What we are looking for are people to adopt a section of the Little Falls Park (which runs from McArthur Blvd to Norwood Park). The steward would be the eyes and ears of their section as well as help organize clean-up events once or twice a year. LFWA board would support them and provide tools, equipment - whatever they need. We were thinking that this would be a perfect role for people who already use the park - dog walkers, runners, hikers and the like.

If you would like to be a steward, contact Suzanne Richman at info@lfwa.org for more information. And even if you don't want to be a steward, but would like to organize the West Chevy Chase neighborhood for a invasive weed removal effort, contact Lynnwood at plants@lfwa.org. She can help get you started and even has a lot of clippers to lend.

And don't forget we have Diane Cameron coming to talk about stormwater control on November 12. The old way to control stormwater run-off was to line the creek with concrete like they did to the Willett Branch which runs along the Little Falls Trail near Norwood Park. Diane will talk about new solutions that don't involve concrete!

Sarah Morse
blog master