Annual National Pollutant Discharge Elimination Report Details Results and Progress from 2012
SILVER SPRING, MD—M-NCPPC Montgomery Parks recently released its National Pollutant Discharge Elimination (NPDES) annual report detailing the program’s results and progress from July 1, 2011 through June 30, 2012. The program aims to manage and reduce pollutants in Montgomery Parks including stormwater pollution caused by sediment, oil, gas, trash, pet waste and other contaminants that are washed into park waterways.
Major accomplishments from this year’s efforts include:
- Pollution prevention training for 269 Montgomery Parks staff coupled with the development of the “Minnow Minutes” newsletter to provide targeted environmental education;
- Removal of 109,000 pounds of stream and park trash supported by volunteer programs;
- Labeling of storm drains to educate the public about stormwater pollution;
- Use of Environmental Site Design (ESD) to reduce the stormwater impact on water resources and provide stormwater management for untreated impervious parkland surfaces;
- Reforesting of 31 acres of parkland, done in coordination with the State Highway Administration, Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments and the Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection.
“Through the work and commitment of parks staff, volunteers and the public, we have made real progress reducing and managing pollution in parks,” said Mary R. Bradford, Director of M-NCPPC Montgomery Parks. “Ensuring a healthy environment for park users is a top priority for this department and the funding in this program enables us to keep our watershed clean.”
Park patrons and county residents play a critical role in keeping parks clean and healthy by properly disposing of pet waste, throwing trash in the appropriate bins and avoiding dumping anything into storm drains which flow directly into streams, stormwater ponds and eventually the Chesapeake Bay.
During the current fiscal year Montgomery Parks’ staff will focus on training personnel, identifying and eliminating pollutant sources entering parks, and development and maintenance of stormwater management facilities.
The complete NPDES report is available online.
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