What is a watershed?
A watershed is an area of land that drains to a specific body of water. It can be as small as a few acres or as large as the entire Chesapeake Bay Watershed (64,000 square miles). Precipitation falls onto the land, flowing to streams, lakes, and rivers. Some water soaks through the soil or is taken up by plants; both act as filters to remove pollutants. Hard surfaces such as roads and sidewalks prevent water from soaking into the ground. When this happens, more pollutants reach our waterways.

How does my backyard affect local waterways?
The way you use your property affects water quality. Pollutants on your lawn, sidewalk, and roof will eventually wash into storm drains and local waterways when it rains. For instance, pollutants on a property in downtown Frederick wash into Carroll Creek, then the Monocacy River, the Potomac River, and the Chesapeake Bay. Common pollutants such as fertilizers, pesticides, pet waste, sediment, car exhaust, oil, and detergents degrade water quality and harm aquatic life.

How can my backyard help my watershed?
Here are 5 actions you can take at home to help your local watershed:

1. Pick up pet waste. When pet waste washes into waterways, it adds unnecessary nutrient pollution. Instead, pick it up and put it in the trash can.
2. Perform a soil test and reduce your use of fertilizers and pesticides. Excess fertilizer and pesticides make their way to local waterways and degrade water quality. You can still have a green lawn and save money by using less, or even no chemicals. A soil test will tell you what type of fertilizer to use and how much, if any, is needed. You can get a FREE soil test kit by registering for the Green Leader Challenge.
3. Install and use a rain barrel. Rain barrels capture water from your roof and store it for later use, both reducing stormwater runoff and the amount of well or treated water used outside.
4. Reduce turf by installing a rain garden and planting native. A rain garden is an area of rich, amended soil and native plants that collect and filter rainwater. Likewise, native trees, shrubs, and plants can beautify your property and reduce runoff.
5. Take the Green Leader Challenge or attend a Neighborhood Green workshop! Reduce your household’s impact on the environment by engaging in these Frederick County programs. Become a Green Leader by taking action to reduce water pollution, manage your household’s waste, cut back on fuel use, make healthier food choices, and more. Engage in the Neighborhood Green program to reduce your stormwater runoff and transform your property from turf to native wildlife habitat.

Take the Green Leader Challenge!
Visit www.FrederickCountyMD.gov/GreenHomes or contact the coordinator at GreenHomes@FrederickCountyMD.gov or 301.600.7414 to learn more.

Attend a Neighborhood Green workshop!
Visit www.FrederickCountyMD.gov/NGreen or contact the coordinator at HMontgomery@FrederickCountyMD.gov or 301.600.1741 to learn more.

When you flip a switch, do you care where your electricity comes from? Most of us do not care… as long as the lights stay on and the beer remains chilled. Delivering electricity to our homes is a magical process employing “tubes and wires” and things that are beyond our comprehension.

Until we learn to care and educate ourselves it will be challenging to move beyond 19th century fuels and traditional power generation.

In Maryland we generate most of our electricity from coal (~ 5,000 MW). Currently there are two nuclear power plants at Calvert Cliffs in Southern MD which supply almost 29% of what the state generates. Renewables account for only about 6.6% of electric generation in Maryland. According to the Maryland Department of Energy:

Of the 81 electric generating plants in Maryland, 31 have been operating for less than 30 years, 11 have been operating between 30-40 years, 21 have been operating 40-50 years, and 18 have been operating for more than 50 years.

So, we have aging power generation facilities and (for better of worse) the potential for a natural gas boom in Western Maryland. Just last Fall the MD Public Service Commission sought proposals for new natural gas generating facilities.

So, which source of energy do you prefer?

• Coal
• Nuclear
• Natural Gas
• Or, any of the above as long as they are NOT in my backyard!

In my opinion, we will frack…

The reasons are many, but mostly because it is cheap energy for a public that just wants their lights to come on when they flip the switch… without thinking about it. Pay attention to what is happening in Pennsylvania.  It has been the wild, wild west of fracking. In a recent House subcommittee hearing, the Director of the Pennsylvania EPA admitted that they were not yet really monitoring fracking in their state.

We are fortunate that we live in Maryland. Last June (2011) Governor O’Malley signed “The Marcellus Shale Safe Drilling Initiative” which established a commission of scientists, industry and environmental specialists to establish best practices for gas drilling BEFORE any drilling permits are issued. The commission has two years to complete their work.

In July, Maryland Attorney General Doug Gansler initiated a “Landowner Education Campaign on Natural Gas Drilling Contracts” to help protect landowners in Western Maryland.

Now it is up to you to do your part and pay attention!

Get involved in your local planning and zoning. Let your state and local representatives know what is important to protect in your community. The video “The fracking frontline: a tale of two Pennsylvanias” is a cautionary example of what can happen…