Watershed Cleaned and Labeled!

We did it! With the help of over 100 volunteers, 243 storm drains were marked with beautiful "Do Not Pollute" labels and over 2,000 residents received information about storm water run-off and the DC and Montgomery County programs to mitigate. A great way to end earth month!

We have pictures coming just as soon as I get them uploaded and figure out how to post a slide show.

And in case you missed the education part of the day - two messages to take away:
Everything that goes in the Storm drains comes out in the creek.
Water is killing our waterways!
Stormwater run-off washes pollution, trash, silt and more into the creeks. All this flows downstream to the Potomac and to the Bay. Further, too much stormwater causes the creeks to flash flood, the banks to erode and loss of habitat for the macro-organisms who live on the rocks on the stream beds. When these organisms lose their homes, they die, the animals that feed on them disappear and this part of the ecosystem becomes sterile.

The solutions lie locally. Redirect the rain water from the impervious surfaces back into the ground. Not only will the waterways be better for it, but the groundwater will be recharged. Plants depend on this ground water to survive. Visit the DC Riversmart Homes website, www.ddoe.dc.gov/riversmarthomes or the Montgomery County Rainscape website, www.rainscapes.org for a wealth of information on what you can do right on your property.

Thank you again to everyone who came out. Please support our sponsors and raffle donors listed in the previous post. And check back for pictures!

And if you missed the festivities, but want a t-shirt, we have a limited number available for a $20 donation.

Sarah Morse