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Check out this great interactive map and find out more about your local stream conditions! The County has recently completed a highly informative interactive map that allows you to fill in your address and find out answers to questions such … Continue reading
The Loudoun Clean Streams Coalition will hold a rally at the Loudoun County Government Center on Monday, May 2nd, 2011 from 6:00 to 7:00pm and we invite you to add your voice and show your support for implementing the Chesapeake Bay Protection Ordinance (CBPO) as a critical way to protect our streams.
As discussed in detail on this website, we believe that implementing the CBPO is an important step toward protecting water quality in county streams – water that ultimately is withdrawn from the Potomac River and Goose Creek to be used for drinking water in most homes in the eastern half of Loudoun County. While we freely admit that the Riparian Buffers (streamside vegetated filter strips) protected by the CBPO will not solve all of the chemical and sediment pollution problems noted in county streams, they are already in place in many areas of the county, require little maintenance, work 24/7 to filter water BEFORE it enters the streams they abut, and are scientifically endorsed as very effective natural filters. Given the seriously compromised state of county streams and the already high levels of sediment and chemical pollutants in the Potomac, the CBPO makes not only good ecological sense but it will save many cents as well by saving the amount of time, money and effort needed by water treatment plants to bring river water to drinking water standards.
As the Board tailors the CBPO to fit Loudoun County, this is a chance for folks who take environmental health seriously to demonstrate our concern about the health and future of our streams. Join us in encouraging the Board to finish its work quickly and adopt this protection
On May 2nd, we will gather outside the Government Center (inside in the event of rain) to encourage the Board to act, share other ways we can all help to protect and restore our streams, listen to some great music and have a little ice cream in honor of our passion for clean streams.
Lincoln-based singer/songwriter and former environmental engineer, Andrew McKnight, will raise our spirits and our aspirations with several songs that he has written about the health of streams and the role of water in our lives. A passionate, caring and insightful defender of the environment for many years, Andrew will give special flair to this event and fill our heads and hearts with a good dose of ‘if you really care about something, then speak out.’ For a taste of what Andrew’s performance holds in store, swing by You Tube or his website and listen to ‘The Other Way’ which poses an interesting question with regard to polluted waterways.
We all drink from a common cup. Some of the rain that fell on your yard and your neighbors’ yards this week will flow from someone’s tap before long. Or to re-spin the old phrase, ‘What goes to ground, comes around’.
So please join us on May 2nd and share an hour of your time to rally for cleaner water and a healthier environment. Invite your friends to come too!
Personalize the template and send a letter to the Board of Supervisors to support moving forward on the Chesapeake Bay Preservation Act. Continue reading
The Benefits of Streamside Vegetation
1. Woody vegetation and tall grasses along streambanks shade the water, helping to maintain cooler water temperatures many aquatic organisms require to survive.
2. Native plants provide food and cover for wildlife. Nesting, breeding, and roosting sites are common in riparian areas.
3. The roots of trees and shrubs not only stabilize stream banks, thus preventing erosion and stream bank failure; they also take up excess nutrients entering the stream from the surrounding lands. This root material also slows the velocity of a flooding stream thereby decreasing damage and allowing greater groundwater infiltration.
4. Fallen leaves and other plant debris provide food and shelter for many organisms.
Taken from The Delaware Riverkeeper Network’s Restoration Program,September 2003.
In the name of science, 23,190 bugs were sacrificed during the 2009 Loudoun County Stream assessment project which included collecting benthic macroinverterbrates at 200 sites in the county. The aquatic insects were identified to the family level. The bugs were collected using nets in the streams and later identified in the lab at Versar. Continue reading
The United States Geological Survey (USGS) recently published a study on the effects of urbanization and development on stream ecosystems. Their report emphasizes the threat that impervious surfaces – asphalt, sidewalks, etc. – pose to stream organisms: because these surfaces prevent storm water from seeping into the ground, stream organisms are inevitably confronted by increased volumes of storm water runoff and increased exposure to fertilizers and pesticides. By understanding how stream ecosystems are affected by development, our County can take timely and effective steps to prevent stream degradation and protect water quality. Continue reading
To whom it may concern,
Catoctin Creek Waterford Near Phillips Farm, courtesy of James Hanna
My name is Drew Moore and I write to you on behalf of Loudoun’s Clean Streams Coalition. We’re an association of Loudoun citizens and citizen groups who are committed to saving and preserving Loudoun’s streams. We feel that the Chesapeake Bay Preservation Act (CBPA) – now under consideration in Loudoun – is a pragmatic legal safeguard against stream degradation, as it requires a 100′ riparian buffer surrounding all perennial streams in the county. As you may know, riparian buffers have been shown time and time again to be a simple, effective means by which to protect waterways: the buffer acts as a sponge for silt, animal waste, and nutrients (principally nitrogen) and slows the flow of water from land to stream, helping to prevent water contamination, sedimentation, and bank erosion.
I am writing to ask if you would like to help our coalition of like-minded people as we educate Loudoun about the CBPA and encourage the Board to implement it. In particular, we would like to 1) provide accurate, well-cited information concerning the CBPA and its potential effects in Loudoun, and 2) demonstrate county-wide support for the CBPA at the Sept. 20 public information session before the Loudoun Board of Supervisors.
Let’s work together to ensure safe, clean water in Loudoun – today, tomorrow, and for generations to come.
Sincerely,
Drew Moore
