Salt Testing
Sarah Morse
Creeks hit hard by road salt pollution

Watershed creeks are showing very high levels of chloride this month. After each winter storm, LFWA salt testing team has recorded chronic or acute levels of toxicity to aquatic life in four of our creeks.

Sarah Morse
Source of "murky" water found
Salt Testing
Sarah Morse
No snow yet, but salt levels are high in creeks

LFWA citizen scientists are busy at work again, this time testing for salt pollution in our creeks. The baseline tests taken in mid-December showed high levels of salt - almost to the chronic level.  This is alarming as the freshwater organisms who live in the creek, cannot survive when the salinity of the water gets too high.  

Bacteria Monitoring
Sarah Morse
Fecal Bacteria Polluter Found; Problem Fixed!

In 2022, our fecal bacteria monitoring program uncovered a serious E. coli pollution problem in the Willett Branch. Our tests found fecal counts more than 50 times higher than the Maryland recommended levels for safe water play. We are excited to announce that the source of this pollution has finally been uncovered.

norwood park project
Sarah Morse
Winter News from the Norwood Park Arboriculture ...

The latest issue of the Norwood Park Arboriculture Project newsletter is HERE - filled with compelling news and ideas. Please take a few moments to see what's new with the trees around the Park, and how you can help the ecology in your yards, pots and community spaces.

Nesting Success of Red-shouldered Hawks (Buteo lineatus) in the Park  

May 3, 2020: Nesting Adult Red-Shouldered Hawk in Little Falls Branch Stream Valley Park perched with a garter snake in her talons, photo by Terri Jacobsen.

May 3, 2020: Nesting Adult Red-Shouldered Hawk in Little Falls Branch Stream Valley Park perched with a garter snake in her talons, photo by Terri Jacobsen.

Good news from Terri Jacobsen who has been documenting Red-shouldered Hawks in the Little Falls Branch Stream Valley Park this year. The successful fledging of six young Red-shouldered Hawks from two nests in LFBSVP in the summer of 2020, suggests that the Little Falls watershed offers high quality riparian forest habitat for this species and others that live and reproduce there. Terri’s report of the 2020 nesting season can be found at this link: https://flipbooker.com/user_files/html/8f2621e8-0228-49de-887d-c6d66f5045cd/index.html

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Mow, Don't Rake: Leave the Leaves for a Better Environment!

Mow Your Leaves for a Better Environment!

Big piles of leaves by the curb, a certain sign of autumn and lots of fun for kids to jump in. What could be wrong with that? Not to be the Grinch Who Stole Leaf Pile Jumping, but everything. Leaf piles by the side of the road make their way to the creek where they decompose and cause nutrient bloom. Leaf piles left for pick-up mean no leaves around the base of your trees where they provide an organic blanket for the trees during the winter. Leaf piles in general mean you are wasting valuable nutrients for your lawn. If you leave the leaves, they will feed your lawn all winter long and in the spring, your grass will thank you.

So, this year, take a tip from Winterthur, the spectacular DuPont gardens in Delaware and mow your leaves right on the lawn.

Stormwater Management for Sumner Village

In January 2019, LFWA was awarded a $20,000 grant from the Montgomery County Department of Environment Protection to tackle the stormwater run-off problem at Sumner Village, a condominium community in Bethesda. The green areas by tennis court two had little or no vegetation and turned to a sea of mud when it rained. In addition, the creek adjacent to the area were experiencing considerable erosion due to rain water run-off. The fence has been moved several times in the past years because the bank has collapsed.

Stormwater Management for Little Falls Parkway

UPDATE, July 2020: The project is complete!

Project Complete! The concrete has been removed and replaced with a vegetated infiltration swale planted with native grasses and wildflowers.

Project Complete! The concrete has been removed and replaced with a vegetated infiltration swale planted with native grasses and wildflowers.

Before: The concrete storm ditch collected water from uphill properties and directed it to the Willett Branch, causing flooding and erosion of downstream creeks.

Before: The concrete storm ditch collected water from uphill properties and directed it to the Willett Branch, causing flooding and erosion of downstream creeks.

April, 2020: The concrete ditch along Little Falls Parkway at Dorset Avenue is getting a stormwater management upgrade. The concrete is being removed and replaced with a vegetated swale. This will allow the stormwater run-off to soak into the ground instead of filling the channel and flowing directly to the Willett and Little Falls creeks. The swale will be planted with native wild flowers and grasses which will bring much needed native plants to the area.

The project is being undertaken by Montgomery Parks. The start date was April 2020 and completion is expected by June 2020. Please contact Erin McArdle, PE with any questions regarding the project. Erin.McArdle@MontgomeryParks.org

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LFWA & Corona Virus Pandemic: a Personal Message from Our President

When I joined the board of Little Falls Watershed Alliance (LFWA) and later became president, I never envisioned writing a letter like this on a subject like this. I envisioned communicating about the organization’s many great accomplishments, its dynamic leadership, its tremendous volunteers, its myriad activities and our improving environment. I’ve enjoyed and am certain I will continue to enjoy opportunities to broadcast such things. Needless to say, the Coronavirus pandemic has, at least temporarily, disrupted our lives, plans and short-term aspirations.

Among LFWA’s greatest strengths is its vibrant volunteer base and the plethora of effective volunteer activities. Unfortunately, at our last board meeting, we made the difficult but responsible decision to suspend all sponsored volunteer activities for the foreseeable future, until they’re safe to resume. We hope and pray that our community can move past this and that we can resume our volunteer programs as quickly as possible. We want you to know that even during this pause, we continue to work hard on behalf of our watershed. We recently collaborated with our Maryland legislative representatives and provided testimony to help secure funding for the future Willett’s Branch Park and are currently preparing for virtual meetings on the proposed Westbard II site plan and senior center, among other things.

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I encourage you all to continue to safely enjoy our watershed, including the Little Falls Stream Valley Park and Capital Crescent Trail. Nature can provide great comfort and solace in these trying times. I was out walking along the Little Falls Branch with my family on Sunday and signs of spring were everywhere. The loud whoosh of a huge Great Blue Heron taking off from the stream just above Massachusetts Ave. startled us. We also noticed several pairs and families of mallard ducks lazily swimming and feeding on the water. Finally, we observed fish, small and large, returning to the stream, as they do every spring. Our parks, always heavily used, are even more so now. Please be careful about social distancing, wear masks when advisable and do everything you can to stay safe. And, as always, if you venture out, feel free to bring a bag and pick up any trash you see to keep our environment clean.

On behalf of the entire LFWA Board, we wish you the best during this difficult time. Stay well!

Jack Sobel
LFWA President


Winter is for Removing English Ivy

Winter is here and there is one important thing that every homeowner can do to save their trees - remove any English Ivy that is growing up the trunks. Ivy can strangle trees, accelerate rot, attract mosquitoes and cause mature trees to fall down during storms. With the threat of snow, it's important that you pay attention to the last warning - the weight of snow added to the weight of the ivy can cause mature trees to fall down during storms.

Stormwater Management for Sumner Village

In January 2019, LFWA was awarded a $20,000 grant from the Montgomery County Department of Environment Protection to tackle the stormwater run-off problem at Sumner Village, a condominium community in Bethesda. The green areas by tennis court two had little or no vegetation and turned to a sea of mud when it rained. In addition, the creek adjacent to the area were experiencing considerable erosion due to rain water run-off. The fence has been moved several times in the past years because the bank has collapsed.

What is ESD to the MEP and Why Do We Care About It?

UPDATE March 14, 2019.  The Planning Board Approves Regency Center's application.  Rejects our request for NO waiver.

Where Does Rain Water Go and Stormwater Management

When it rains, the water hits the ground, the pavement, the roof tops, driveways, parking lots, etc.  Some of it soaks into the ground (infiltrates) and some of runs off the impervious surfaces into the storm drain system - down gutters, into storm drain pipes, finally ending up in our waterways through outfall pipes.  Too much stormwater run-off in our rivers and creeks causes flooding, erosion, increased pollution, loss of habitat and degradation of the waterway banks. 

Start helping your watershed today!