Post Magazine: Silent Streams

Do you know your watershed address? Many residents along Donaldson Runin Arlington do. Perhaps you should, too.

Because, as Mary Battiata's cover story in  The Washington Post Magazine reported, local streams are in trouble -- largely because of us. Battiata was online to field questions and comments.

Mary Battiata is a Magazine staff writer.

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Mary Battiata: Hello. This is Mary Battiata here.

A word on method. I will answer the questions directly, best I can. Messages that are comment rather than question, or informational, I will forward to the chat room without comment.

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Washington,D.C.: My name is Benjamin Grumbles and I am the Assistant Administrator for Water at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. I live in the Spout Run watershed, play next door in the Donaldson Run watershed, and work for watershed restoration across the country at the Environmental Protection Agency. 'Silent Streams' is a clear and timely call for grass roots, creek bed action to monitor and protect against stormwater pollution. This week EPA is issuing national guidance to help control urban and suburban runoff in treasured but threatened watersheds across America. Low impact development can slow the flow of pollution, keep the bugs happy, the streams healthy, and the drinking water pure. Our local, upstream efforts will also help speed the cleanup and repair of America's Bay, the Chesapeake. More information is available at http://www.epa.gov/owow.

Mary Battiata: Thank you.

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Fairfax, Va. (Accotink creek): Haven't had time to finish the article, so maybe you've already answered this. What is the status of possible fixes like green roofs, permeable parking lot paving, etc? Are these things practical and effective? Can we find a way to mandate such features in new building and retrofit when renovations are done? Should we?

Mary Battiata: Fairfax County government, and the Northern Virginia Soil and Water Conservation office in Fairfax, are actively encouraging the use of these stormwater containment techniques. They will be using some at the new arts center on the grounds of the old Lorton prison.

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Washington, DC: Mary,

Great article! Sadly, local streams, which can be an important and valuable urban/suburban resource, tend to get overshadowed by large rivers (e.g. the Potomac) and estuaries (e.g., the Chesapeake). Where did you get your inspiration for the story?

Ted

Mary Battiata: I walked the creek daily for about ten years with my dog, and got curious while i was out there about all the weird features -- cracked concrete stream beds, strange shelfs, toppled trees...

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Springfield, Va.: Loved your article! I grew up and still live in Springfield, where the back door opened onto my childhood adventure ground: Pohick Creek, meandering relatively undisturbed through acres of woodland and trails. It's still a beautiful and private place to wander around, and it almost seems too good to be true considering it's a mere 20 minute drive from DC.

I've heard of Save Our Streams. What other groups and organizations are helping train volunteers to monitor their stream health and to publicize guidelines around trash collection, lawn care, flooding etc? Over the years, my uneducated observations tell me the health may be improving since the 90s, judging simply by the amount of wildlife I've noticed in the last few years: little bi-valves, small fish, water boatmen, and even a few snakes. Is other wildlife like beavers and racoons a positive sign? I'd love to be able to learn and do more to help my creek. Thanks again for a wonderful article.

Mary Battiata: In addition to Save Our Streams, a good starting point might be to check the website of the Audubon Naturalist Society, in Montgomery County. They're regional and very active. In Va., check with the Fairfax office of the state Soil and Water Conservation District. Among other things, they act as a sort of extension agent for streams.

You might also check with your county or city's environmental affairs office, or that website, for links to citizen stream groups.

Finally, you might try googling your stream or creek's name with the words "friends of".

The Friends of Little Rocky Run has a lot of good information. They're at www.friendsoflittlerockyrun.com, and that group's founder and engine, ned foster, knows a lot about local groups, especially in northern Virginia.

I think you can contact him via the website.

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Washington DC: Mary,

Thank you for drawing attention to the plight of our local streams. Can you tell us more about how you came to write the article? And how long did it take you to complete it?

Also, as a stream monitor I regularly find evidence of the activities of dog owners and their pets along the stream--chewed up tennis balls floating in the water, uncollected dog waste on the banks of the stream. Is it true that dog waste is a major contributor to the bacteria levels in our local watershed?

Thanks

Mary Battiata: I don't know exactly.

What I do know that research on the impact of dog waste on stream health is ongoing. The current understanding is that dog waste is a factor in fecal coliform levels in some creeks, but it is not one of the big ones. That honor still goes to stormwater runoff, volume and velocity, as well as lawn fertilizer and silt.

For example, aA few years ago Arlington County discovered that the source of fecal coliform contamination in Glencarlyn's dog park, on the banks of 4 Mile Run near the W&OD Trail was not dog waste, as had been alleged, but a broken sewer line from a nearby apartment.

I've noticed that in several watersheds, dog owners, perhaps because they're out along the creek daily, have become involved in stream monitoring groups.

But there's no doubt that some, if not many, dog owners, use the creek as a convenient outdoor toilet for their animals. That is not good for the creek. The amount of waste left behind by even one dog in the course of a year is significant. Multiply it by dozens of dogs and you've got an eyesore, and probably some kind of impact on creek habitat.

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Vienna, Va (Difficult Run): I was intrigued by your article and happy to read about the actions taken by private citizens and (finally) local governments to improve stream health. However, as a resident of Fairfax County, I cannot reconcile that improved attention with the major clear cuts that continue to happen at building sites here. Acres of trees get cut down, and then the site sits inactive for weeks or even months, without ground cover, while the topsoil just washes away and causes more damage to the streams. Do you have any opinion about how the local governments' left hand doesn't seem to know what the right hand is doing?

Mary Battiata: I mention that in the story.

A new group called The Northern Virginia Watershed Roundtable, which includes government officials, politicians, conservationists, etc., this year asked the Virginia legislature to consider new legislation that would link storm water fees that developers pay to how many trees they cut, or don't.

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Arlington, Va.: Thank you for your excellent story, it is wonderful that the Post ran such a long article on this very important - and historically ignored issue. While I find stream restoration extremely important in returning our existing creeks to a healthier ecology, it is very expensive and does not fix the root problem - increased runoff from impervious areas. You touched briefly on Low Impact Development (LID). I am the storm water manager of several federal properties, and we have found that LID is the most economically feasible, environmentally effective, and aesthetically pleasing technology to deal with this issue. Through LID we are able to reduce runoff quantity, and improve runoff quality prior to it reaching local waterways. You mentioned a few types of LIDs (green roofs, rain barrels), and there are others that local governments (and homeowners) should consider (bioretention cells) each time they are increasing impermeable area through constructing roads, buildings, house additions, driveways, etc... Local governments are slowly starting to consider LID for public works projects, but any LID use seems to still be considered a 'demonstration', even given the amount of research that has been collected showing the effectiveness of these features. Would you perhaps consider writing a follow-up story on managing storm water before it reaches the creeks and streams?

Mary Battiata: Because of the way the Post Magazine works, I probably won't be able to write about storm water issues for a while, but it's an interest of mine, so I will keep it on my radar screen.

In my reporting I found ordinary citizens clamoring to know more about LID. So the more demonstrations the better, I think. A green roof on a major shopping center, for example ...

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Stevensville, Md.: This is Jim Uphoff with MD DNR. Thought your article was great and very timely. We are more and more realizing that what goes on in the watershed ends up downstream. I work for Fisheries Service and we started a project two years ago to quanitify what happens to fish habitat in tidal areas with increased development. The degradation of streams results in degradation of the tidal tributaries the streams flow into.

In Maryland, folks can get active in stream monitoring through the Department of Natural Resources. It is called the Stream Waders Program and is part of the Maryland Biological Stream Survey. I don't have the web address, but a search of the DNR website should turn it up.

Fisheries Service has and will be using stream monitoring to investigate anadromous fish spawning habitat in two focal watersheds this coming spring. Anadroumous fish ascend freshwater to spawn but live most of their lives in estuarine or marine waters (like salmon). Some anadromous species are striped bass, American and hickory shad, herring, yellow and white perch. The watersheds will be the Bush and Corsica rivers.

I beleive that the key to preserving and restoring watershed lies in the community that lives there. Local government has much of the responsibilty there and community activists (voters) are the most likely ones to influence land use processes.

Mary Battiata: Stream Waders Program. That sounds interesting. Thanks for writing.

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Berryville, Va.: Dear Ms. Battiata,

Thank you for your enlightening article

Silent Streams. I am a volunteer for The

Friends of the Shenandoah River. I will

see that all of our members get a chance

to read your article.

My question is what was the process

used to restore Donaldson Run? Did the

monies come from Va. DEQ, NFWF, EPA,

and/or local sources?

Thank you for your time, Bruce

Mary Battiata: The funding came mostly from the county, with some state funding. The local community group used some of its discretionary county capital improvement money, as well, about $25,000.

The cracked sewer line casings at Donaldson Run made the creek a priority repair.

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Bakerton, W. Va. : Mary,

Great article. It was encouraging to see how much Arlington County has changed in regard to their environmental stewardship since the spill. Too bad that it all too often takes a bad event to lead to good actions. As a follow-up, I wondered, do you know if Arlington County has improved the spill response capabilities of its environmental office?

Regarding the reader comment on the attention of smaller streams. The Potomac's health is reliant on the health of all of it's tributaries. As opposed to a major event, such as Katrina, the river's greater risk is death by a thousand cuts if we do not reverse the trend of growth and degraded streams. It can be done, but like the Chesapeake Bay, the Potomac River, and all of the small streams, it takes resolve. We need to realize that actions which protect the streams are investments, not costs. Thanks. Jim Cummins

Mary Battiata: That is a very good question. I don't know the answer, but I will forward the query to the people I interviewed in Arlington County.

I do know that because the creek flows through county and federal property, the response to reports of the spill was massive -- u.s. park service, d.c. fire and rescue, arlington County fire and rescue, and some others. And I know there was some question on the weekend of the spill about who was supposed to test the water, and who had the responsibility/authority to declare the water clean enough to take down the hazard tape.

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Silver Spring, Md: Dear Mary,Fantastic story! I don't know if you realize how very timely it is! Certainly with the news of the huge dead-zone in the Chesapeake Bay this summer the contribution from the watersheds leading into it is critical. There is alot of activity in the region - Maryland, and VA as well as DC to raise awareness of watershed issues and push for proactive "upstream" solutions - targetting the sources of run-off with "low-impact development (LID)" techniques such as bioretention, green roofs, rain-gardens etc. There are many watershed groups starting up or well on their way in the region thanks in large part to the Council of Governments(COG) helping to raise citizen awareness and help them start grassroots citizen's organizations. Examples in Maryland are: Friends of Sligo Creek (www.fosc.org) neighbors of Northwest Branch (www.neighborsnwb.org); Eyes of Paint Branch, Friends of Cabin John. Check out the FOSC web site- it is pretty incredible.

Alot of advocacy work is being done by these organizations. Articles such as yours are incredibly helpful in raising the profile of the problems with citizens and politicians alike. The POST has actually been doing a great job with special watershed reports.

Good data and monitoring is critical to these efforts- but is often given short shrift since not visible to citizens. You may want to do a follow-up article on how such monitoring over the long-term (not just by volunteers) of the physical and biological quality of the watersheds is done and what is happening to this data. Some monitoring is being discontinued - for example by the USGS - leading us to be "blind" to how our efforts are hurting or helping the streams. Thanks again! I hope this discussion can be continued. -Kathy Michels

Mary Battiata: Thank you for that information.

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Greenbelt, Md.: Ms. Battiata,

I want to commend you on an excellent article that covered all the major points that needed to be mentioned. I also want to thank the editors of the Post Magazine for devoting major space to this article and giving the topic the coverage it deserved. Maybe we'll renew our subscription to the Sunday Post after all.

- Bob Fireovid

Mary Battiata: I will pass that along. Thank you very much.

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Clifton, Va.: Mary, what a wonderful timely article. I work with two of those small local non profits working on stream restoration in Northern Virginia, Earth Sangha, and Lands and Waters. YOur article will be widely distributed and quoted. My wife, not quite as involved as I, but still quite aware, saw the picture of the degraded stream and said "I thought that's what streams are supposed to look like.". So there's lots of education to be done. Again, Thanks for your contribution to the cause.

Mary Battiata: Right, I walked along Donaldson Run for years and had no idea there was a problem. I too thought that was what the creek was supposed to look like.

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Annapolis, Md.: Your article was great, and very timely. We're working to pass a Watershed Restoration Fund (aka Stormwater Utility) in Anne Arundel County, to help the County pay for some of the problems caused by impervious surface. I was curious about one aspect of your piece though, why did Dan Radke "takes pains to explain that he is not an environmentalist?"

Mary Battiata: Well, I can't speak for him. But what he told me was that he didn't want a casual reader to think he was more radical than he is. His point was that he's an ordinary guy who just happens to care about his stream.

I thought that was significant because his involvement means that the message about saving streams is now reaching, and affecting the behavior, of the average citizen.

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Washington, DC: Ted again, with the Council of Governments in DC.

Regarding the question about bacteria, there is an increasing number of surveys trying to identify the distinct sources. As one example, a recent analysis the Maryland Department of the Environment for the nontidal Anacostia River listed five broad categories: "Domestic Animals" (mostly dogs & cats), "Human" (typically from leaking sewers and failing septic tanks), Livestock, Wildlife (including deer and geese) and "Unknown." At one sampling station, under higl flow conditions, pets and human sources represented 28% and 26% of the total.

As you might imagine, there is lots of variation.

Mary Battiata: That's interesting. Thank you.

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College Park, Md.: This was an interesting article- thank you for pointing out local action to improve waterways. My name is Brooke Hassett- I am a graduate student at University of Maryland and am working on the National River Restoration Science Synthesis Project (NRRSS) briefly mentioned in the piece. More information on the project is available at http://www.nrrss.umd.edu

My work with Margaret Palmer is focused on the ecological success of stream restoration projects in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. We have compiled data on stream restoration projects throughout the watershed- this will become available to the public at the end of the year. I spent part of the year conducting in-depth interviews with people involved in restoration projects throughout the region to identify common elements of ecologically successful projects. We plan to report our findings sometime next year.

Mary Battiata: Thank you.

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Arlington, Va.: Dear Mary,

I enjoyed your article. I live in Arlington and run along the bike path on 4-mile Run and through Bluemont Park. 10 years ago when I moved to Arlington, I never noticed trash in the creek, but now I notice it all the time, including in the creek area in Long Branch Nature Center. Who cleans this up? Is there a local citizen's group that I could join?

Thank you.

Sandy Moore

Mary Battiata: There are porbably several. I would ask about it at the Nature Center. They've got a really good staff naturalist there, and I think she would know where to direct you.

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Southeast, Washington, DC: I cannot afford these McMansions you guys live in next to your lakes and streams. You guys complain about anything. What about the people living in affordable high-rises in the city? There aren't any streams there. They are lucky to get clean water out of the faucet. I laugh at you richies and your "problems": HAHAHAHAHA!!

Mary Battiata:

There are probably more streams around you than you realize, or are plainly visible.

If you're interested, there are two active and important watershed groups in D.C. that you might contact. The Anacostia Watershed Society is the oldest in the region. They've been cleaning up that watershed and doing public education for more than two decades.

Also, there is a brand new Friends of Rock Creek group that's started up in the past year or so.

People who've gotten active in cleaning up or otherwise taking care of their local stream seem to find that it pays them back many times over.

And urban streams need help. They're under a tremendous amount of stress. Thanks for reading...

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Beltsville, Md: Neil Weinstein, Low Impact Development Center

I dont usually get the Post, but Im glad my neighbor was out of town and asked me to pick up the paper. I really liked your article, because it really shows how getting local citizens involved can make a tremendous political difference. The restoration of the Bay is really going to have to come from a grass roots effort. We know that what we are doing now, just isnt working. We need a watershed based approach that has the goals of restoring hydrologic and hydraulic functions of our uplands areas and streams is required. If we cant get the energy inputs as close as possible than our stream restoration efforts will result in just nicely landscaped ditches with lots of polluted water, rather than functioning habitats.

The restoration of our watersheds is a much more complicated problem then just saying its impervious or sprawl that has been the cause. Blaming watershed problems on imperviousness and sprawl makes for great headlines but is just about as wrong as you can get. It would be great if the solutions were that simple. The fact is that our watersheds started to degrade about the time we cut our first trees down in the region 400 or so years ago. The use of land use planning, despite good intentions, to protect watersheds just doesnt work. Watersheds with very low imperviousness, as little as 1 or 2 percent can be severly degraded. Growth happens, especially in this region. In the DC area we are just about at infrastructure capacity. Somebody help us if we propose a new road or try to go off the grid with decentralized water and sewer systems. After all we have to support our water and sewer utilities. We are going to have about 2 million new residents here and the pressure to develop and redevelop in the urban core will be the final blow to whats left of our urban forests and stream systems.

The development of new technologies and a commitment from our local governments to adopt flexible approaches to stormwater management is required. The fact is that for the most part, neither is happening on a wide-spread basis. We construct 10's of millions of dollars of BMPs a year without much commitment to research on their effectiveness or strategies for their use. Last time I checked, the federal government isnt chipping in to much here. As a matter of fact, many of the grant programs that encouraged much of the research for watersheds arent going to be in the federal budget next year. The research will have to come from the local governments, developers, and citizens groups. Many of the local governments and states are still stuck with approaches and codes from about 30 years ago because they are "simple" to understand and get through the development review process. Its great to see how citizens groups and watershed planners are starting to work together on innovative and sustainable solutions. This has to start to carry over into the building permit process. Our current economic boom of imperviousness and sprawl presents the opportunity to incorporate innovation and forward thinking and adaptive management approaches into the process.

Mary Battiata: I think the quote from Tom Schueler, at the Center for Watershed Protection, in Ellicott City, Md., said it all: "We're improving our game all the time, but we can't keep up with sprawl."

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Arlington, Va.: In reply to the question from Bakerston about Arlington County's spill response, the volunteers did as they were supposed to in calling the fire department to report the spill. We actually provide the volunteers with a sheet explaining the protocol for dealing with stream pollution with the monitoring kits, but as the program was new they may not have realized that they had that with their materials. The fire department is trained in hazardous materials and material containment and are available 24 hours a day. We do get reports of spills here in our office as well, but as we are not here 24 hours a day, residents should know that they can report suspected stream pollution in Arlington County at 703-558-2222. We have this information on our web site as well.

Thanks, Aileen Winquist

Mary Battiata: Good to have that. Thank you.

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Burke, Va. (Lake Braddock): The local School upgrade ended up adding a large amount of silt into the local lake by where I live, it seems as if there was initially no attempt to control the siltation - until we turned to the local politician - and she got the controls in place. My question is - are there requirements for building - from what to do to mitigate siltation, to where building happens - because it seems there is a lot of building going on without adiquate controls or in innapropriate places.

Mary Battiata: Believe it or not, there are strict silt control regulations in most jurisdictions around the D.C. area. But enforcement is sometimes weak. So a private citizen who makes a point to flag a developer who's not following the rules can do a lot of good.

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Fredericksburg, Va.: Hello Mary. Thanks for your article.

I am curious to learn more about stream monitroing and how I can become one. We have several streams in our area (50 mi south of DC) that are suffering from development. Would you suggest contacting Cliff Fairweather to find out about classes? Or is there another approach you would reccomend?

Charlie

Mary Battiata: I would start with Cliff, yes. He'll know if there's anyone out there, and if there isn't, he'll have an idea of what you can do ...

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Washington, DC: Kudos on your excellent article. The fellow with EPA mentioned the role of low-impact development in protecting our watersheds. Folks can find out more about the ways in which overdevelopment or sprawl harms waterways, as well as policy solutions by visiting www.americanrivers.org. Here's hoping that you continue to focus attention on our troubled streams and rivers!

Mary Battiata: Thanks

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Arlington, Va.: Regarding the question on green roofs, permeable pavement, etc, Arlington County has a green building program to encourage such practices in commercial and residential development.

http://www.arlingtonva.us/Departments/EnvironmentalServices/epo/EnvironmentalServicesEpoGreenBuildings.aspx?lnsLinkID=1075

Mary Battiata: Thanks

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Boyds, Md.: In the article you noted Cliff Fairweather's classes in healthy stream ecology at Margaret's Branch as 'free and open to all comers.' Can you provide any details on how to attend such a class or get involved in a local watershed group?

I also wanted to say I was excited to find an in-depth scientific article on stream and watershed issues in the Washington Post Magazine. Thanks!

Mary Battiata: try www.audubonnaturalist.org

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Rockville, Md.: Are there groups out there that you know about which can offer guidance to citizens about getting involved in protecting streams and rivers?

Mary Battiata: you could start with Save our Streams, or the audubon naturalist society.

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Laytonsville, Md.: where can i get more information on joining a stream water monitor group in Montogomery County? thanks. -Matt

Mary Battiata: try the audubon naturalist society, in montgomery county

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Petworth, Washington, DC: This is a great topic. I think people are weak on geography ANYWAY, but the maps we see are predominantely road maps, largely ignoring all other land features. How can we fix this? The notion of the "continental divide" gets a little attention. Can I get a row of signpost to mark the Anacostia drainage?

Mary Battiata: you might get in touch with the anacostia watershed society.

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Oak Hill, Va: We live in headwaters of Difficult run(South fork of Little Difficult Run). We see erosion in the southeast corner of our lot that drains our and a few neighbors lots(about 2 acres).

What can we do to help?Where can we get additional information?What are the resources available?

Mary Battiata: there have been several messages from people near Difficult Run. I think I'm right that there is a Friends of Difficult Run group out there. The Northern Virginia Soil and Water conservation district office in Fairfax might know. Or you could contact the office of Fairfax County Board Supervisor Penny Gross.

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Berwyn Heights, Md: Ms. Battiata I loved your article. I am a stream team captain in Prince Georges coutny and the chair of an environmental group,CCRIC. I would love to see you do a follow up article on Low Impact Development Practices, specifacally Rain Gardens. These are gardens designed to catch and hold the first inch of rain that falls and throug bed design allows the water to filter into the ground to recharge the water tables. These gardens can be homeowner size, parking lot size or highway size. Since I can't participate in this discussion because of work I would like to contact you later this week.

Ms Pat Blankenship

Citizens to Conserve and Restore Indian Creek

Mary Battiata: you can reach me via post email, battiatam@washpost.com.

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Arliington, Va.: Ms. Battiata,

Do you know if it is possible to create wetlands that would temporarily catch storm water runoff and slowly discharge the water into local streams?

Also, I've lived in a number of places out West, and it seems the newspapers out there have many more articles on the local environment, and it seems like there's more awareness of environmental issues. Do you think we (with the notible exception of the people you profile in your article) have a cultural distain for the environment here in Northern Virginia, perhaps based on ignorance?

Mary Battiata: We're out of time here. Thanks to everyone who wrote in. Mary

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