Potomac Basin Vol. 59, No. 2 Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin March/April 2003 C. Dalpra Another bag?! Indian Creek site organizer Zelda Bell hands another trash bag to her son, Gabe. The Bells have been to several of the Potomac cleanups. Cleanup Volunteers Remove 117 Tons of Trash from Watershed Goal of “Trash-Free in 10 Years” Set he morning of April 5th was a little organize it each year. “There is as much Tchilly and wet, but the gray skies didn’t trash in the river now as when we began dampen the enthusiasm of the more than the cleanup in 1989,” she said. Bowen and 3,000 volunteers who came out to clean the foundation, which runs the Hard up their local waterways during the 15th Bargain Farm environmental education annual Potomac River Watershed facility on the river shore in Prince George’s Cleanup. For three hours on the blustery County, Md., will use the network of agencies Saturday morning, the volunteers gathered and individuals involved in the cleanup to at 138 sites across the watershed, build awareness and provide educational donned work gloves and filled bags with opportunities to eliminate litter from the 117 tons of assorted trash, much of it watershed. Establishment of indicators and recyclable plastic bottles. benchmarks targeting trash reduction and The event also marked the kickoff of a recycling goals will be coupled with an new goal in the cleanup, to make the river educational campaign. The effort will draw Trash-Free in 10 Years. “The event is an attention to the solvable problem of litter effective way to raise awareness of trash and promote strategies for recycling and issues and get our communities working trash reduction to decision-makers and together,” said Tracy Bowen, executive governments. director of the Alice Ferguson Foundation, The effort was getting a good start during which began the event and continues to this year’s cleanup, as some returning Our mission is to enhance, protect and conserve the water and associated land resources of the Potomac River and its tributaries through regional and interstate cooperation. ICPRB COMMISSIONERS DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA: Theodore J. volunteers removed trash from sites that Gordon, Hamid Karimi*, Alternate; they had cleaned previously. Gabe Bell, the James H. Hannaham, Alternate; Lloyd young son of Zelda Bell, who for a number Preslar, Anne D. Snodgrass, Alternate of years has organized a site off Indian Creek in the Anacostia watershed, was MARYLAND: James H. Gilford*, Minny getting a little frustrated as he filled plastic Pohlmann, Alternate; Gov. Robert L. bags with assorted trash. “I really wish Ehrlich, Jr., Robert M. Summers, people would quit throwing their stuff out Alternate; George H. Shoemaker, John like this,” the younger Bell said, as he Parran Bowling, Alternate surveyed an expanse peppered with plastic bottles and foam cups that had washed PENNSYLVANIA: Rep. Stephen R. through storm drains to rest in a wetland Maitland, Rep. Bob Bastian, Alternate; area. Many of the volunteers have helped at Cathleen C. Myers, John C. Booser, several cleanups over the years, and the Alternate; William I. Plank*, Roger C. event also allows individuals to network on Steele, Alternate the litter issue as well as to meet neighbors with similar environmental concerns. VIRGINIA: Robert G. Burnley, Michael For the first time in the cleanup’s history, D. Clower, Alternate; Gloria Taylor organizers sought to get a basin-wide Fisher*, Andrew H. Macdonald, assessment of just how much of the trash Alternate; Del. Robert G. Marshall, Del. was recyclable by providing different Marian Van Landingham, Alternate colored bags for those items. The results were impressive. About 23 percent of the WEST VIRGINIA: Stephanie R. bags of trash collected could be recycled, Timmermeyer, William D. Brannon, including about 59,400 plastic bottles. At Alternate; David A. Levine, Phyllis M. some sites, the volume was much higher, Cole, Alternate; Del. Harold K. Michael lead by a site at Fort Foote National Park in Prince George’s County, Md., where plastic UNITED STATES: J. Winston Porter*; bottles comprised about 73 percent of the George Reiger; Jane G. Witheridge bagged trash. Priscilla Offenhauer, a volunteer at the Indian Creek site, was *Executive Committee Member dismayed by the amount of recyclables she bagged. A recent transplant from Massachusetts, Offenhauer thought that a The ICPRB Officers: bottle bill, requiring deposit on containers, William I. Plank, Chairman would help clean the river environs. “It Joseph K. Hoffman, Executive Director seemed like the day after the bottle bill Robert L. Bolle, General Counsel passed in Massachusetts, the roads, woods and shorelines got cleaner very quickly,” Commissioners and their alternates are she noted. appointed by the state’s governors, the Many unusual items were found at the mayor of the District of Columbia, and the cleanup sites, including a Bedford, Pa., President of the United States. newspaper box found in Prince George’s County, four World War II U.S. Navy mine markers, a paddle boat, a toupee, a guitar, three swing sets, a stun gun, a movie projector, bongo drums, and eight bags of The Alice Ferguson Foundation has neatly bagged and tied up pet waste. In conducted the cleanup each year with the addition, the cleanup collected a total of assistance of partners, including citizens 1,448 tires, 1,834 assorted balls, more than groups, nonprofit organizations, the National 70 small propane tanks, 26 barrels and Park Service (a number of sites were on drums, eight shopping carts, most of an all- park land), ICPRB, and state and local terrain vehicle, and several toilets and toilet governments. seats. The cleanup also has a growing list of During its 15-year history, cleanup sponsors, lead by the Chesapeake Bay volunteers have removed more than 860 Trust, which provides much of the funding tons of trash from the Potomac watershed. needed for the cleanup. Residents Can Help Meet New CBP Goals The Chesapeake Bay Program (CBP) partners recently announced the new nutrient reduction goals for bay states and the District of Columbia. Since 1983, the Chesapeake Bay states along with the federal government, have worked to restore the bay under the cooperative CBP. Nutrient (nitrogen and phosphorus) reduction and sediment reduction, two of CBP’s targets, are essential to preserve the bay and the Potomac River, its second largest tributary. According to the Chesapeake Bay Program, the new goals will C. Dalpra help the partner states and the Student volunteers prepare a rain garden for planting in Washington, District of Columbia formulate D.C. Citizen involvement is crucial in meeting Potomac and bay plans for citizens, watershed restoration goals. organizations, and local governments to do their part in reducing excess nutrients in the bay on a per year. local level. Citizens are learning that simple tasks The new goals for the Chesapeake Bay such as planting trees can help reduce watershed are to achieve nitrogen loadings nutrients as well as filter sediments and of no more than 175 million pounds per toxins, stabilize stream banks, and lower year and phosphorus levels of no more water temperatures for healthier fish than 12.8 million pounds per year, both populations. Sedimentation can be largely figures nearly cutting in half the original attributed to lack of riparian (streamside) levels set 20 years ago. Excess nutrients vegetation. Sweeney estimates that, on trigger algae growth that chokes out average, 1.8 million tons of sediment enter submerged aquatic vegetation and the Potomac estuary from upstream each reduces habitat and water quality needed year, blocking sunlight needed for aquatic by creatures living in the river. Based on plant growth. However, sediment deposition sophisticated computer models, Jeff is hugely variable over time, depending on Sweeney of the Chesapeake Bay Program precipitation patterns. For the first time, CBP estimates that an average of 62 million set a bay-wide goal to reduce sediment to pounds of nitrogen and 4.3 million pounds no more than 4.15 million tons per year; 1.5 of phosphorus per year are discharged into million tons per year is the target for the Potomac basin waterways each year. The Potomac watershed. According to the actual levels of nitrogen and phosphorus Potomac Watershed Partnership, one acre are variable from year to year depending of riparian buffer trees is estimated to upon rainfall. Agriculture and urban areas capture two tons of sediment per year. The combined make up about 41% of the land Potomac Watershed Partnership is a and contribute about 48% of the nitrogen cooperative watershed restoration effort pollution and 70% of the phosphorus between the U.S. Department of pollution per year. Goals for the Potomac Agriculture’s (USDA) Forest Service, Virginia basin are to ultimately reduce loadings to Department of Forestry, Maryland about 36 million pounds of nitrogen and Department of Natural Resources Forest about 3.5 million pounds of phosphorus Service, Ducks Unlimited, and the Potomac Bay Program’s Potomac Status and Goals meetings are being planned for this Percent year. The meetings 1985 2000 Reduction New Goal will focus Levels Levels to Date organizations and local government 2 Million 1.8 Million 1.5 Million agencies on Sediment 13% Tons/Year Tons/Year Tons/Year regional issues in the Potomac basin. 71 Million 62 Million 36 Million Nitrogen 13% Recognizing the Lbs./Year Lbs/Year Lbs./Year need for citizen education and 5.3 Million 4.3 Million 3.5 Milion Phosphorus 19% involvement, Lbs./Year Lbs./Year Lbs./Year ICPRB strives to Data Source: U.S. EPA Chesapeake Bay Program keep Potomac The new goal for 2010 is to reduce nitrogen by an additional 42 percent, residents updated phosphorus by 19 percent, and sediment by 15 percent below the levels achieved on events and in 2000.