Bacteria Monitoring Program Needs Volunteers

Little Falls Watershed Alliance is excited to announce that we are re-starting our bacteria monitoring program June 1 for the Little Falls and Willett Branches. Building on the success of last summer’s program, we will be adding more sites for a total of 6 sampling locations and expanding our sampling frequency from every other week to once a week.

Along testing for E. Coli, we will be looking at pH, water temperature, and air temperature in order to provide up-to-date water quality information for residents during the recreational season. The results will be posted on our website and Facebook page for the public to access.

Citizen Scientists Needed

The key to the program is volunteers. We have selected six locations for testing and we need two or three people to adopt a location to do the sampling. The samples MUST be taken Wednesday mornings and they are sent to the Anacostia Riverkeeper lab for analysis Wednesday by 10:00. All volunteers must attend a short training session.

Please contact us at stormwater@LFWA.org if you are interested in helping out.

Why Monitor?

While the water of our creeks is mostly odorless and looks sparkly clear, the creek is one of the most impaired in Montgomery County. As an urban creek, located in a heavily paved area, stormwater run-off carries a toxic mix of chemicals, trash and other pollutants into the creek. Dog poop left on lawns or dropped into the storm drain system pollutes the creek with fecal matter. The storm drain system flows directly to the creek and after it rains, the volume and velocity of the water is so high that it causes considerable erosion and collapse of the creek banks. Further, sewer lines located under the creek are often exposed by the erosion and leak or break. By testing the E. Coli levels in the creek, we will get an understanding of the extent of fecal pollution and how the fecal count is affected by rain events. Most important, we will be able to advise the public about the safety of the creek for wading and other water activities.

What else do we Monitor?

Benthic Macro-invertebrate Survey: Four times a year since 2016, LFWA has taken a census of the macro-invertebrate life of the creek. We look for diversity of species as well as total number. Using the Benthic Index of Biotic Integrity (BIBI), we are able to grade the health of the creek. Despite having some bio-diversity, our creek consistently rates poor, the lowest grade. Learn about our program HERE.

Salt Monitoring: Winter salting can cause the salinity of creek to rise, making the waters toxic to life. Since 2019, LFWA has participated in the Izaak Walton Salt Watch program. Results are HERE. In the winter of 2021/2022, the salt levels spiked to lethal twice after snow storms.

Mass Ave at Falmouth Road is going Native

Native Plants are Coming!

Bottlebrush Buckeye

We are excite to announce that we are starting a new habitat restoration project along Massachusetts Avenue at the intersection of Falmouth Road. Non-native invasives plants on either side of the intersection will be replaced by native flowers, grasses, trees and shrubs. With native plants established, the area will come alive with bees, butterflies and other insects so necessary for pollinating and as food for song birds and other animals.

Planning for the project began in January with discussions on what could be done to remove the non-natives choking out native plants at this intersection and along Mass Ave. It was clear that our efforts to hand-remove the vines and bush honeysuckle were not enough to allow the native plants to re-establish themselves. We decided that the area would be best served by hiring people to remove the non-natives and replant with native shrubs, grasses and flowers. Volunteers could then be engaged to water, weed and tend to the area. After getting permission from the State Highway Administration (SHA) to do the restoration, we were on our way.

Woodland Ruby Anise Tree (Illicium ‘Woodland Ruby’)

Landscape designer, Lauren Greenberger, Daybreak Farms, has been hired to design the project and oversee the work. SHA has agreed to removed non-native mulberry tree on the south side. We will be working with local landscaping company, Pineapple Landscaping, to remove the non-natives from both sides of the intersection.

We expect the new plants to be installed by the end of April, so please visit the site and watch the progress.

Many thanks to Celia Martin for taking on this effort, to the Westmoreland Civic Association for their support and the MD State Highway Administration for partnering with LFWA on this important job.

Habitat Restoration area marked in green.

Plant list

Along Mass Ave and along entrance way:

• 90 Bouteloua gracilis, ‘Blonde Ambition’ (Blue grama grass); or Calamintha nepeta (catmint)

• 60 Sporoboulus hetereolepsis (Prairie Dropseed – summer bloom, bee host)

Under existing trees:

• 5 Aesculus parviflora, Bottlebrush Buckeye (summer bloom, fall color)

• 10 Illicium, ‘Woodland Ruby’ (Anise Tree – color in spring, evergreen winter)

• 5 flats Packera aurea, (Golden Ragwort -deer resistant groundcover, daisy-like flowers, semi-evergreen)

• 3 flats Dennstaedtia punctilobula (Eastern Hay-scented Fern)

• 2 flats Polystichum acrostichoides (Christmas Fern)

• 2 flats Matteuccia struthiopteris (Ostrich Fern)

• 3 flats carex rosea (curly wood sedge – deep green, semi-evergreen)

• 3 flats carex albicans (white-tinged or oak sedge – showy tips/flowers)

North Side:

• 4 hammamelis virginiana (witch hazel – fall blooming, multi-trunked)

• 4 Hamamelis vernalis (Ozark witch hazel – drought tolerant)

• 7 Aesculus parviflora (Bottlebrush buckeye)

• 24 ilex glabra, ‘strongbox’ (Inkberry Holly – evergreen, smooth leaf)

Woody Stanley Named Winter Salt Watcher of the Month

Congratulations to Woody Stanley, LFWA Salt Watch Team Leader, for being named the Izaak Walton League Winter Salt Watch monitor of the Month, February 2022. LFWA is proud to partner with Izaak Walton in their winter salt watch program.

From the Izaak Walton Website:

Woody Stanley is the Salt Watch coordinator for the Little Falls Watershed Alliance in Bethesda, MD. While LFWA had a Salt Watch team, Woody took the program up a notch this year and recruited, organized and trained 16 volunteers to monitor three streams in the watershed at seven locations.

The volunteers test monthly (since November) to establish baseline readings and before and after snowstorms with Woody’s support at every step. He’s always available to answer questions, clarify the reading procedure and even meet volunteers creek-side to walk them through the app and testing procedure. Further, Woody is the inventor of the Tomato Stake Scooper – a really handy way to take a sample while safely standing on the creek bank, eliminating the risk of falling into the creek.

Woody also maintains our database, compiling all the information and producing graphics that are posted on our website and on community listservs.

Because of Woody’s efforts in organizing this initiative, LFWA now has a good idea of how much salt is being used during storms and how it is affecting the creeks. We have already used the data in our advocacy for more judicious salt application. And at least one local municipality is seriously rethinking their salt policy because of this increased data. Further, because Woody presents the information in a clear graphic form, public awareness of the problems with salt has increased and we are hearing from people who want to know who they can call to clean up excess salt. 

Learn about the LFWA Salt Watch Program HERE.

B-IBI for Creek remains POOR

LFWA Stream Team members were back in the Little Falls Branch for their winter monitoring February 6. Again, the weather was beautiful, the creek looked good, but it still is rated poor for its biological health. Only pollution tolerate organisms live in our creek and only 6 different species. And like winter 2021, the team did not find the required 100 organisms needed for a complete assessment.

They found 39 organism as follows:

Aquatic worm -2
Aquatic sow bug - 7
Midges - 11
Black flies - 5
Crane fly - 2
Common net spinner cadisfly - 12

The organisms are each assigned a number and to compute the Benthic Index of Biotic Integrity (B-IBI) score. The score for this monitoring was 1.3, at the low end of POOR. The creek has experience very high levels of salt in the past 6 weeks. This might be contributing to the low numbers as salt is toxic to these organisms. Learn about our salt testing program HERE.

Welcome new team members

LFWA is happy to welcome three new members to our monitoring team - Julie Miller, Phillip Mariscal, and Pauline Smith. They join team leader Frank Sanford, who along with 19 make up the LFWA Stream Team.

how do we monitor?

Our team does a quarterly benthic macroinvertebrate census of the creek. We use a D net to sample 20 spots along about 75 yards of the Little Falls creek below Massachusetts Avenue in Bethesda. The nets are emptied into tubs, and team members sort through the debris to find the organisms. We follow the protocol used by the Audubon Naturalist Society, our partners in this endeavor and report our data to them.

Benthic macroinvertebrates are the little bugs that live on the bottom of the creek, on the rocks and in the leaf packs. They are the link between the lowest level resources to higher trophic levels, including fishes. We monitor them as they are diverse, generally sedentary, responsive to environmental alterations, and are good indicators of ecosystem productivity and health.

More information about our monitoring program is HERE.

Soaking up the Rain; Permeable Pavers for Overlook

Overlook Community Pool parking lot in Bethesda has a new look and a new job. Not only is it used for parking cars, but with the completion of the new permeable paver system, it’s providing stormwater management! A portion of the asphalt has been replaced with permeable pavers. This new surface allows the rain to soak into the ground as well as support cars. So, when it rains, the water will infiltrate instead of running off the parking lot, down the storm drain system and into the Little Falls creek. More information about the project is here.

How do the pavers capture rain water?

Permeable pavers are interlocking concrete blocks that rest on a specially engineered subsurface that allows for the rain water to be held in a large gravel bed until it soaks into the ground. The 15-inch uncompacted gravel bed is key to the whole system. The blocks themselves are not permeable, but contain spaces between them for the water to drain through. Once the water goes through the spaces, it flows in the gravel bed where it is stored until it can soak into the ground. The water usually empties within 24 hours. In the Overlook system, the gravel bed is designed not only to capture the rain that falls on the pavers, but also the water running off the asphalt.

How does this help the creek?

Any water that goes into the ground instead of into the storm drain system helps the creek. When it rains, water runs off parking lots, driveways, roof tops, streets and other impervious surfaces and makes its way to the storm drain system. In Montgomery County, the storm drains go directly to the creek via pipes that run under the streets until they outlet into the creek. Everything that is washed into the water by the rain - trash, oil, dirt, chemicals, dog wastes - is dumped into the creek polluting it. In addition, the volume and velocity of the stormwater run-off causes flooding, erosion and loss of vegetation along the creek banks, habitat for wildlife.

When water is captured by the permeable pavement system, there is less water going into the creek. Instead the water goes into the ground where it will help to:

• Remove pollution as it is filtered and cleaned by the micro organisms in the soil

• Recharge the ground water creating a reservoir of water for deep roots to access during times of no rain.

• Control local flooding

• Protect the local creek from erosion.

Learn more about the project HERE.

where else can pavers be used?

Permeable pavers are a great option for many residential projects, including driveways, walkways, patios, sidewalks, shoulder parking areas and pool decks. If you are interested in learning more about managing rain water on your property and the rebate program offered by Montgomery County and Washington DC, visit our rebate page.

Why the overlook pool parking lot?

The Overlook Pool Parking Lot Permeable Paver Project is the second project in a comprehensive storm water management plan for Overlook, a 99 household neighborhood which abuts the Little Falls Stream Valley Park and overlooks the Dalecarlia Reservoir. It all started in 2017 when the Overlook Homeowners Association noticed that the community pool parking lot needed resurfacing. But they also noticed that the Little Falls creek was experiencing a lot of run-off from the hilly community and erosion was causing serious problems where the storm drain outlets approached to creek. A little research by Overlook Board Member George Clark lead him to believe that they could help with the run-off problem when they redid the parking lot and maybe there were other areas where rain water could be made to soak into the ground. And so, the Overlook Stormwater management project was born.

George contacted the Little Falls Watershed Alliance and we were able to secure a grant to do a stormwater management study for the community which owns 6.2 acres of shared common space - including the community pool. The study identified nine areas where stormwater management could be done to reduce the impact of rain run-off on the Little Falls creek. Rain gardens, curb cuts, conservation landscaping and permeable pavers were on the list of green techniques that the neighborhood could use to manage and treat the storm water. The grant also included moneys to install two demonstration rain gardens. These gardens were sited in a very visible spot near the community pools to help with a considerable erosion problem that created a mud slide on the walkway, but also to show residents just how lovely rain gardens could be. Signage at the site highlights how rain gardens help with stormwater management and how they can be used on residential property.

Overlook projects reduce pollution and run-off

Together, the rain gardens and the permeable paver projects treat over 15,000 gallons of water when it rains. They reduce pollution by keeping 0.284 pounds of phosphorus will be kept out of the creek, 167.31 pounds of silt (TSS) and 5.99 pounds of nitrogen.

next steps for Overlook

The Stormwater management plan developed in 2017, provided Overlook with a road map for future works. If the entire plan is implemented, 11.74 acres will be treated with total removal of 4.26 lbs/year phosphorus and 106.89 lbs/year nitrogen and 3,311.60 TSS.  This would represent a 27% reduction of TP, a 22% reduction TN and 29% reduction in TSS for the neighborhood pollution load and a strong commitment to the environment by the residents. The next step is to revisit the plan and pick another to implement.   We look forward to continuing to work with Overlook on this important project.

The Overlook Stormwater Management Projects are made possible by two grants funded by the Montgomery County Water Quality Protection fund.

Mow Your Leaves for a Better Environment!

It’s time for our annual appeal: Leave the leaves

Feed your lawn by mowing the leaves. It’s good for the environment and good for your lawn. We’ve been preaching the benefits of mowing your leaves for more than10 years now and it’s beginning to catch on! If you’re skeptical, just try it on a portion of your lawn, maybe a side yard, or behind the garage. To quote Scotts Fertilizer: “When spring arrives, you'll notice something: The leaf litter you mulched up in the fall will have disappeared. Meanwhile, your rake will look dusty and neglected—but your grass will look greener than ever.” Yes, even Scotts Fertilizer is recommending that you mow instead of raking (or blowing)!

Piles of Leaves Cause Problems Downstream

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. Leaves in the gutter make their way to the creek where they decompose and cause nutrient bloom. Leaves in the gutter mean no leaves around the base of your trees where they provide an organic blanket for the trees during the winter. Leaves in the gutter mean you are wasting valuable nutrients for your lawn.

Mow, Don’t Rake!

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

From a Washington Post article

For more than 20 years, the gardeners at this expansive and famously leafy estate have been mowing leaves with (...) lawn mowers. The machines inhale the leaves, chop them into shreds and deposit them as the mower moves along. Engine noise is confined to the muted chug of the mower, not the incessant high-pitch whine of the leaf blower.And there are no bags to unhook and drag anywhere, just a confetti-like litter left on the grass. Ripped into morsel-size pieces, the flakes melt away in two or three weeks as microbes and worms do their work of enriching the soil.

It is such a simple system that (Chris) Strand, garden director, and Long, assistant garden curator, wonder why it hasn't caught on. They are certainly converts in their own gardens. "I spend a fraction of the time I used to spend raking and transporting leaves," says Strand.

This process is endorsed by none other than the Scotts Fertilizer Company. On their website, they recommend you

Take the grass catcher off your mower and mow over the leaves on your lawn. You want to reduce your leaf clutter to dime-size pieces. You'll know you're done when about half an inch of grass can be seen through the mulched leaf layer. Once the leaf bits settle in, microbes and worms get to work recycling them. Any kind of rotary-action mower will do the job, and any kind of leaves can be chopped up. With several passes of your mower, you can mulch up to 18 inches of leaf clutter.

So, give your rake a rest, save the local government some money and help the environment all by mowing your leaves. It works for the Winterthur Estates and it will work for you. When spring arrives, you'll see great results. The leaf litter you mowed this fall will have disappeared. And your grass will look greener than ever.

And if your children need a pile to jump it, rake them one and when they're jumped out, put those leaves under your trees and around your shrubs - free and beautiful mulch!

Great Lawn Fertilizer and Winter Habitat

The National Wildlife Federation states "In addition to becoming natural fertilizer for your soil, leaves that stay where they fall create “mini ecosystems,” according to another post by the group. Chipmunks, salamanders, earthworms, turtles and other small creatures live in the leaves or use them for food and nesting material, and butterflies and moth pupae like to spend the winter in the leaf layers."

University of Michigan Study Endorses Mulching

Here's another good article about mowing your leaves that sings praises to the value of mulching your leaves right on the grass.

http://www.mlive.com/homeandgarden/index.ssf/2012/10/mulched_leaves_offer_food_prot.html

The author addresses the problem of oak leaves - hard to mulch, but with patience, they will shred.

Fine Gardening Magazine Encourages Leaving the Leaves

Mowing leaves into your lawn can improve its vigor, and unraked leaves in planting beds don’t smother shade-tolerant perennials
by Terry Ettinger

If you dread the annual fall leaf-raking marathon, I have good news for you: Raking and collecting leaves every autumn is a tradition without scientific basis. Research has proven that mowing leaves into your lawn can improve its vigor, and observation shows that unraked leaves in planting beds don’t smother shade-tolerant perennials. Click HERE to read more.