Save the Date for Community Clean Water Summit

Join us for the Community Clean Water Summit

February 26, 8:00 am to 1:30 pm
Silver Spring Civic Building, Great Hall, room 1

Pre-register at http://clean-water-summit.eventbrite.com

What is this event? A Community Clean Water Summit for citizens to attend and learn about the impacts streams are facing; what environmental groups are doing to prevent these impacts and how they can get involved in the Clean Streams Movement.

Who should attend? All members of watershed groups, general public and anyone interested in the health of the streams in Montgomery County.

What Will You Learn? By joining us at the Community Clean Water Summit, citizens can:

• See firsthand what issues streams in the County face and how they can be a part of the solution. Eric Eckl, from Water Words that Work, LLC, will be the keynote speaker and will provide input on how Montgomery County residents can have a “Vision for a Cleaner, Healthier Community.”
  
• Hear stories from local residents who decided they had the power to improve the water quality in their neighborhood.
  
• Meet and get to know these fellow citizens who have formed together to improve their community and local streams.
  
• Find out how you can make a difference - discuss various volunteer efforts, inquire about memberships, and other ways individuals can help to make a difference.
  
• Learn from local vendors how to make your your home more water conservation-friendly.

Why: Streams in Montgomery County are impacted by a host of factors. Pollution comes from various sources, however, pollution from stormwater is the only source of pollution that is increasing in the streams of Montgomery County and the Chesapeake Bay. This pollution can come from each and every one of us through the actions and decisions we make on a daily basis. The solution to this trend is in the hands of the local citizens. By getting involved in the community and being aware of the environmental programs, projects, and groups available in the County, citizens can make a significant difference in the amount of pollution that reaches streams by changing simple habits and behaviors. Many of these actions are commonplace and often residents are unaware that their actions can have a negative effect on stream health.

There is a federal program that sets limits for the amount of stormwater pollution in certain areas. Montgomery county is one of the areas that must participate in this program. In order for the County to meet the requirements of this program and reduce the impacts of pollution to their streams, the County needs all citizens to make conscience choices about how their daily activities affect the streams where they live, work, and play.

To register for the event please visit: http://clean-water-summit.eventbrite.com

This event is made possible with the generous support of the Chesapeake Bay Trust, Montgomery County and Sea Grant of Maryland.

We look forward to seeing you there!

For more information, please contact:

Ryan Zerbe
Watershed Outreach Planner
Montgomery County DEP
255 Rockville Pike, Ste. 120
Rockville, MD 20850
ph: 240-777-7744
fax:240-777-7765

email:Ryan.Zerbe@montgomerycountymd.gov

Parkway Cleaned!

Volunteers Matt Oxley and family were so disappointed that the Parkway Pick-up Saturday was canceled due to the snow that they took some bags and gloves and did a parkway clean-up this morning. They collected 3 big bags of trash and one piece of fencing.

Thank you to the Oxleys for coming out. All in all we have collected over 30 huge bags of trash during the months that we have adopted the Little Falls Parkway. Little steps like this keep the trash out of the creek and out of the Bay.

Equipment, Not Trees, Causes PEPCO Outages

The County is currently looking at Pepco service problems. Please take a moment to remind the working group that street trees are not to blame for power outages. According to a Washington Post investigation, Pepco’s own equipment is to blame. The DC area tree canopy is average, but our outages are not. Click here to read the Post story. Also read Robert McCartney’s excellent column on the same subject.

Street trees have a hard enough life surviving in our urban environment all the while providing such incredible services to us- including soaking up polluted rain water run-off; it is tragic that Pepco blames them for power outages, butchering their branches. Please remember when discussing Pepco and their terrible record with power outages- IT'S NOT THE TREES!

Push back against Pepco's tree butchering and advocate for more street trees and all the benefits they provide! Write to County Executive Leggett's working group on Pepco Service telling them NOT TO ALLOW PEPCO TO BLAME THE TREES! (email, ConsumerProtection@montgomerycountymd.gov with "PEPCO COMMENT" in the subject line)

Trees make a difference in our densely urban environment and we can make a difference by saving them from Pepco’s chainsaws.