"RiverSmart" Homes Get Stormwater Makeover
Several
lucky homeowners in the District of Columbia are the beneficiaries of
new rain gardens, porous sidewalks, and even a couple of new driveways,
thanks to FORCE and the District of Columbia's new "RiverSmart"
program. In September, the District Department of the Environment
(DDOE) gave FORCE a grant to help educate residents about effective
stormwater managment techniques that they could install on their own
property. With the help of a landscape design firm and a contractor
with a big backhoe (see below), seven D.C. demonstration projects were
quickly completed.
|
|
|
Rain gardens, bayscaping and pervious paving were installed in three sites this fall, with more to come in 2008.
Three demonstration sites in D.C. are
the first phase in a D.C. Department of the Environment (DDOE) project
to persuade homeowners to reduce stormwater pollution flowing off their
property and harming the District's rivers and streams.
The
program is designed to show how watershed-friendly landscaping can
beautify residential properties. When completed, there will be
demonstration sites in all eight wards of the city. FORCE chose Natural
Resources Design, a Takoma Park-based landscape design firm, and
DemoWorks, a landscaping contractor, to carry out the project. For photos of the first round of projects, with remarkable before and after shots, select this link. |
Beth Mullin Named FORCE Executive Director
“For
Rock Creek, a key hurdle to overcome will be the ‘we can’t make a
difference’attitude. The challenge will be to persuade people that
they,in fact, can.” That’s how Beth Mullin, selected in September as
the first executive director of FORCE, looks at her new job. Beth was
chosen out of a field of two dozen candidates. She impressed the board
with her can-do spirit and cheerful enthusiasm—and a great track record
as the founder of the Pinehurst Tributary Cruisers in her northwest
D.C. neighborhood.
FORCE
decided to seek a paid executive director because our continued
effectiveness depends on work that just can’t be done by a volunteer
board any longer. We’ve had great success in new projects, increasing
membership, and raising funds. Now it’s time to move to a higher level
in conservation, education, and restoration. You'll be hearing more
from--and about--Beth in the coming weeks and months. You can contact
her at beth@friendsofrockcreek.org.
International Cleanup at the Tide Lock
Employees of the Washington headquarters of the International Finance Corporation (IFC),
part of the World Bank, pitched in with enthusiasm on Friday, September
28, to help clean up trash at the mouth of Rock Creek near Thompson's
Boat House. Twelve volunteers from the IFC Infrastructure Division
(CIN) cleaned out the historic Tide Lock of the C&O Canal, which
collects trash and debris from the Potomac River where Rock Creek
enters the Potomac. After cleaning up the lock, they moved on to the
other side of the Creek, where they found another collection of trash
at the point of the Creek directly across from the Watergate Hotel.
Among the items found in the lock were several pairs of women's shoes,
an empty 55-gallon drum, a truck tire, and highway safety barrier from
the nearby construction project on Rock Creek Parkway. Cleaning up the
site was especially welcome by organizers of the Nation's Triathalon
on Saturday, September 29, when 1200 participants, including D.C. Mayor
Adrian Fenty, were expected to jump in the Potomac River nearby for a
1.5-K swim.
|
 |
|
IFC-CIN participants clean up the C&O Canal Tide Lock at the Mouth of Rock Creek. Visit our Photo Gallery for more photos.
|
The
volunteer effort is encouraged by the IFC management, which encourages
employees to participate in volunteer efforts at least one work day per
year. "These folks are clearly good at multi-tasking," said Kevin
Flynn, FORCE Chairman, who helped pick the site. "They were picking up
trash while making multinational financing deals on their Blackberrys."
(No cellphones or Blackberrys were lost in the creek). Thanks to Jamie
Fergusson of the IFC-CIN who contacted FORCE last summer to help set up
the event. The World Bank and IFC have been strong supporters of local
environmental efforts--the Bank has hosted two regional "Trash Summits"
in the past several years
For more photos of the event, select this link.
FORCE Lands Stormwater Grant
The
District of Columbia Government has awarded FORCE a significant grant
to help educate residents about stormwater management. The grant, which
began in September 2007, will fund a number of stormwater projects
throughout D.C. under the city's "Green Yards/Clean Streams" Program
(now called the RiverSmart Homes program).
Among the projects, which
will take place in every ward of the city, are rain gardens, rain
barrel installations, and plantings of vegetation to help control
stormwater runoff.
The
grant agreement, totalling $110,000, was signed in late August by
representatives of the District's Department of the Environment (DDOE)
and the FORCE board. FORCE will be assisting the city in selecting
demonstration projects, meet with property owners, help educate them
about the program, and then install rain gardens, Bayscaped yards, and
replace impermeable surfaces with permeable surfaces.
A major part of the grant project will be
education of property owners and neighbors about the value of
stormwater management. Property owners will make their property
accessible for "watershed friendly" garden tours for one year after the
installations, and display a sign on their property explaining the
project.
Details on the project will be posted on this website as the work progresses.