Ten Mile Creek Victory!

We won. 

Here's from Diane Cameron, Audubon Naturalist Society -

I am happy to report that the Montgomery County Council approved today a Limited Master Plan Amendment for Ten Mile Creek / Clarksburg Stage 4.  Thank you to all of the Stormwater Partners who wrote email letters to the Council, and sent alerts to their own lists. Your hard work helped us to win!

As stated by the Planning Board, the purpose of this Master Plan Amendment is threefold:

1) "to determine how comprehensive watershed protection and state-of-the-art Environmental Site Design can be used in the Ten Mile Creek watershed ..."

2) "Involve all stakeholders..."  and

3) "Incorporate current county policy initiatives..."

The Council didn't take a vote, but rather approved the inclusion of this Master Plan Amendment in the Planning Board's work plan by acclamation.

This project is truly on a fast track - with a commitment by the Planning Board to complete this Amendment in 12 months - by October, 2013. 

The Montgomery County Council will then act on the recommended Master Plan amendment by the Spring of 2014.

Now, we will turn our attention to the work of the Planning Board and its review of watershed protection criteria for Ten Mile Creek.

Council President Berliner, Councilmember Elrich, and other councilmembers underlined the importance of basing the protective criteria for Ten Mile

Creek upon objective science.  The 3 essential elements of watershed protection, that science and prior experience have taught us, are:

1) Imperviousness cap based on protecting key sensitive aquatic species;

2) Forest cover minimums for the watershed as a whole, and for the riparian buffers; and

3) Limits on disruption of bedrock, topography and soils by earthmoving equipment and utilities and transportation infrastructure.

- Diane

Ten Mile Creek: Hey I was Drinking That!

Ten Mile Creek in Clarksburg is Montgomery County's last, best stream and part of the drinking water supply for 3 million people in the Washington, D.C. region.   When the Clarksburg Town was planned in 1994,  it placed the western side of the creek in the county’s Agricultural Reserve, safeguarding the farms and forests that had occupied it for generations.  However, they decided to postpone designation of the eastern side until "more studies" have been done.  The studies were done, they recommended that the eastern side be protected too and now it is time to ask the county to act on this recommendation. 

Two development proposals for land in the headwaters are being considered.  They would bring more than a thousand housing units and a half-million square feet of commercial space into the headwaters of Ten Mile Creek. The scale and footprint of these projects, along with the sewer lines to serve them, will destroy this sensitive watershed.  

Sign a Petition
Please take a minute to ask the County Council to put a stop to this urban sprawl development and protect the stream.  You can email them directly, or sign a petition by going to the Montgomery Countryside Alliance website. 

Learn about the Issue
To learn more about the efforts to save Ten Mile Creek, visit the Audubon Naturalist Society website.  They have been working on this for years and ask for our help.   

Read about the problem in an oped piece by Royce Hanson, former Montgomery County Planning Board Chair. 

This is not just a Clarksburg problem, but an issue for all of us who drink water and love the environment!

Sarah Morse

Bay Friendly Proposal for Proposed Wisconsin Avenue Sidewalk

Up-date on the Green Mile

First, keep those letters coming - visit our website at http://www.lfwa.org/save-trees-wisconsin-avenue for a list of officials to write to. We are getting people's attention. We've been on channel 5 news, in the Gazette, in the Patch and on numerous on-line sites.

Second, focus attention on our County Executive Ike Leggett. I had the chance to talk with him at the Somerset Fourth of July picnic and he said two things of interest - 1) he thinks that everyone wants the sidewalk as he hasn't heard from anyone who doesn't want it. And 2) he (or his office) decides which State Highway Administration sidewalk projects get built. He said there is a list of proposed sidewalk projects, with a 3 year waiting list, and based on what people want, his office prioritizes them. If people don't want this sidewalk, he can take it off the list.

His email address is ocemail@montgmerycountymd.gov.

Bay Friendly Alternative
The State has said that the sidewalk must be built as proposed, so LFWA has also come up with a Bay Friendly alternative to the full sidewalk. According to our correspondence with the State, the primary reason for the reason for the sidewalk is to make the mid-block bus stops safe. However, these bus stops can never be safe unless there are controlled crosswalks allowing bus riders to safely cross the 6 lanes of Wisconsin Avenue which is not in the plan. We strongly recommend that all bus riders use the bus stops at the controlled intersections at Grafton and Bradley. This is the safest way to cross Wisconsin to and from the northbound bus.

However, some improvements to area will increase the safety without greatly impacting the tree canopy:

Sidewalk between Hesketh and Grafton:
A five-foot wide sidewalk between Hesketh and Grafton (as shown on page one of the state plan) would necessitate removal of only three trees. It would greatly benefit the residents of Hesketh who now have only a dirt path to the bus stop and controlled intersection at Grafton.

Up-grade the Mid-block Bus Stop Pads:
The mid-block bus stops are used only by riders who must cross Wisconsin Avenue to or from the west side as the bus stops are adjacent to a golf course, not a residential area. Again, we strongly recommend that all bus riders use the crosswalks and bus stops at the controlled intersections at Grafton or Bradley as the safest way to board or disembark from the northbound buses. However, upgrading the current mid-block bus stops will make them safer for those who are brave enough to cross six lanes of traffic on Wisconsin Avenue without a light or crosswalk.

The mid-block bus stops need larger pads as the current pads are too small to wait safely and do not extend far enough back from the highway. We suggest that the State install 10' x 8' pads with benches much like there are on River Road and many other State highways where there are no sidewalks. This could be done with no or minimum loss of trees.

Finally, it is not necessary to connect these bus stops with sidewalks as everyone using the bus stops must cross mid-block to and from the west side of Wisconsin Avenue. There are no houses on the east side, only the Chevy Chase Club golf course. Bus riders can use the bus stops at the controlled intersections if they do not wish to cross mid-block. By not connecting the bus stops, dozens of trees will be saved.

Save the Green Mile:
The Little Falls Branch is one of the most impaired streams in Montgomery County. It starts right in the Chevy Chase Club so anything that is done adjacent to the golf course is especially detrimental to our stream. LFWA has been working with the County to educate our residents on the need for rain gardens, trees and conservation landscaping to help the stream, save the Bay and to meet the requirements of the MS4 permit. We have installed Bay friendly landscaping on public and private lands. We see cutting down 53 trees and paving over this area for a 3/4 mile sidewalk as a step in the wrong direction for the health of our stream, for Bay revival and not necessary for pedestrian safety.

It is not just "unfortunate" that the trees will be cut down; it is an environmental catastrophe. Stormwater run-off will increase, as well as the urban heat index. We will lose ground water necessary for recharging our stream. The State of Maryland has made trees a priority. It is our hope that the State will continue to make trees a priority and consider our Bay friendly solution for Wisconsin Avenue. Please help us save the beautiful "Green Mile" - a gateway to Montgomery County.

Save the Trees on Wisconsin Avenue

Half Green Mile?

Several years ago, citizens in Chevy Chase fought to have the stretch of Wisconsin Avenue between Dorset and Bradley remain residential.  They sited increased parking lots and loss of tree cover as major concerns to the "Green Mile".  The Green Mile needs our help again.  The State Highway Administration is proposing to put a sidewalk along the east side of the street (the golf course side).  All the trees - 53 of them - will be cut down and some 3/4 of an acres of paved surface will be added.  Because of the small right of way, there is not room to replant any of the trees as the sidewalk is proposed.

Little Falls Watershed Alliance opposes this sidewalk as the environmental impact of such a dramatic action in our very fragile watershed have not be addressed.  Visit our website at http://www.lfwa.org/save-trees-wisconsin-avenue to see how you can help Save the Trees!

Watershed Cleaned!

Thank you to everyone who came out on Saturday to clean the watershed. The numbers are in - 52 volunteers picked up 38 bags of trash including 6 bags full of bottles and cans that were recycled. Another group of volunteers worked on pulling Garlic Mustard and pulled 26 huge bags of this invasive weed.

Brookmont Clean-up Saturday: If you missed the creek clean-up and want to get in the creek and get the trash out, join a clean-up crew in the Brookmont neighborhood, off of MacArthur Blvd. Jennifer Hearn will be leading this group. Details are on our website on the events page - click HERE to visit. btw, this is Jennifer's second weekend cleaning the Little Falls watershed. On Saturday, she organized a group at Lock 5 on the C&O Canal. Her group of 14 volunteers pulled out 10 bags of trash, 6 bags of recyclables and 4 tires and a traffic barrier.

LFWA to receive Community Hero Award

The Montgomery County Civic Federation regularly honors people and organizations from our community that are heroes -- taking time from their lives, and working hard to make the county a better place for all of us.

Little Falls Watershed Alliance is proud to be the March 2012 recipient of this award. Please join us at the MCCF meeting tonight, March 12 for presentation.

MCCF Monthly Meeting
Monday, March 12, 2012
7:45 p.m.
County Council Building - 1st Floor Auditorium
100 Maryland Avenue
Rockville, Maryland

Shout Out to Watershed Warriors!

Parkway Pick-up

Last Saturday, Feb. 11, we had 8 people out for the monthly Little Falls parkway and creek clean-up. In an hour and a half, we were able to pick-up 5 bags of trash and three bags of recycling as well as one very new looking walker and a child size grocery cart. Thank you to everyone for participating. We look forward to seeing you next month too! Check the website for details.

Salt Spill Alert

A special shout out goes to Wesley Seminary for not only alerting us that the DC trucks had spilled a ton (literally) of salt on the road during the non-snow event, but for helping us shovel some 1,000 pounds into plastic bags so that it wouldn't be washed into the stormdrains and creek when in rained. And thank you to DC DOT for prompt pick-up of the bags and also for arranging to have the street swept. There were two big stripes of salt going all the down University Ave from Mass to Quebec where it appears the truck's spreader malfunctioned.

10 Trash Resolutions for the New Year

Dear Neighbors,

Two thousand and eleven has been a very busy year for our trash removal volunteers, spending hundreds of hours picking up a thousand pounds of trash from the curbs, sidewalks, and parking lots along the streets in Friendship Heights and on Little Falls Parkway and River Road. We also have been contacting local merchants to encourage them to keep the areas around their business premises clean, and have been lobbying state and county officials to strengthen the enforcement and scope of solid waste laws.

Trash left on the ground creates a host of ills, including blighting the neighborhood, lowering property values, and damaging the environment. Rainwater washes it into storm drains that empty into the Little Falls Creek, and eventually farther downstream into the Potomac River and the Chesapeake Bay.

We hope for a better year in 2012. You can help. Please consider making and keeping one or more of the following resolutions for the new year:

1. I will dispose of trash and pet waste in a proper receptacle.

2. I will educate my children to do the same.

3. I will pick up at least 5 pieces of trash each day that I walk in the neighborhood.

4. I and members of my household will "adopt" a street block near my home and strive to keep it trash free.

5. I will educate myself about which materials are recyclable and deposit them in the appropriate blue recycling can (for mixed paper/cardboard) or bin (for mixed metals/plastic/glass) provided to me by the county. Please see: http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/apps/dep/solidwaste/collectionservices/curbside.asp

6. I will bind or contain loose papers before I put them in the blue recycling can, and bag garbage before placing it in my trash can, so as to minimize the chance of spillage upon collection by sanitation workers. I will clean up any spillage that does occur.

7. I will pick up from in front of my home any newspapers delivered there, and I will contact the circulation department of any newspaper that I do not wish to receive to cancel delivery. For:

The Gazette, please see: http://www.gazette.net/article/20110118/MISC01/110119990&template=gazette

The Examiner, please see: http://washingtonexaminer.com/examiner-stop-delivery-request

The Washington Post, please see: https://subscription.washingtonpost.com/subscriberservices/subscriber.portal;jsessionid=7GRmT43LdD1JBsf1hpJJsbny0kQ3j8PsrGSzJpYYQ2yFyTRFLkB0!-1166501001?state=faqs

8. I will volunteer to participate in organized trash pick-ups conducted by the Little Falls Watershed Alliance. Please see: http://www.lfwa.org/pick-up

9. I will call 311 to report violations of the Montgomery County Code provisions that require businesses to keep their parking lots and other grounds free of trash. Please see: http://www3.montgomerycountymd.gov/311/

10. I will instruct any lawn mowing services that I employ to pick up any trash before mowing, and to not mow over it.

We wish you all a very happy, healthy, and prosperous 2012. Thank you.

Richard Yates
Vice President for Government Relations & Trash Abatement Committee Coordinator
Little Falls Watershed Alliance, Inc.