[Archived] City of Alexandria Proclaims May as Watershed Awareness Month

City Press Release


	For Immediate Release	For More Information, Contact
	May 12, 2006 PIO# 115-06/rdo	Brian Hannigan, Director of Communications, or Raynard Owens, Communications Officer, at 703.838.4300 Raynard Owens, Communications Officer, at 703.838.4300

City of Alexandria Proclaims May as Watershed Awareness Month
City Implements Various Educational and Outreach Efforts
To Help Residents Understand How They Can Improve Water Quality

Alexandria Mayor William D. Euille has signed a proclamation that designates May as Watershed Awareness Month. The proclamation urges all citizens to recognize the importance of the observance and to participate in watershed protection in the community through everyday activities that include:

• identifying the watershed where they live,
• cleaning up after a pet,
• reducing the use of fertilizers,
• and disposing of household cleaners and used motor oil at an appropriate facility.

The City implements various educational and outreach efforts to help residents understand how they can help improve water quality. These efforts include a major revision of the Web site for the City’s Division of Environmental Quality; the airing of public service announcements, which are created by the River Network, on the local cable access channel; cosponsoring the Living Lightly-Living Green Information Program; the marking of storm drains; placing stream crossing informational markers on selected bike trails; and the cleaning up of the Holmes Run Stream.

Other efforts include the City joining other local jurisdictions to promote the “Only Rain Down the Storm Drain” campaign. The campaign seeks to reduce the amount of trash in streams by educating the public that nothing except storm water should be released into a storm drain.

The City has demonstrated its commitment to improving the condition of its local streams through actions such as its completion of a comprehensive Stream Assessment study. The study’s analysis will form the basis for prioritizing stream maintenance restoration projects throughout Alexandria.

Because of its efforts, the City gained recertification as a GOLD level Bay Partner through the Chesapeake Bay Partner Community Awards Program.

For more information on Alexandria designating May as Watershed Awareness Month or its educational and outreach efforts for improving water quality, call William Skrabak of the City’s Division of Environmental Quality at 703.519.3400, extension 163.

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