Blue Ridge Watershed Coalition receives grant

Pictured above from left: BRWC Board members: Ed Burns, Ronda Lehman, Ryan Streeter, Mark Shields, Carl Drumgoole, Carlen Emanuel, John Maxey, Willis Nowell, and WV DEP Basin Coordinator, Alana Hartman.

On Feb. 12, 2012, The Blue Ridge Watershed Coalition was presented with a $3600 dollar Stream Partners Grant from Basin Coordinator, Alana Hartman.

The BRWC will be using the grant money to complete a project at the Mountain Community Center on Mission Road. The project will incorporate best management practices in managing storm water around homes on steep slopes.

The ultimate goal of this type of project is to slow down storm water run-off as it makes its way to the Shenandoah River. Blue Ridge residents are used to seeing damage to neighborhood roads during minor rain events. The WV DOH placed 45 rail cars worth of stone back on the mountain last spring after one rain event. Proper management and maintenance of roads and private driveways will greatly reduce the need for this type of expenditure. The run-off from the community center forms a stream of water that crosses Rt. 9 causing a dangerous area for hydroplaning. Area commuters will notice this improvement on Route 9 after the project is complete.

The community will be invited to attend a community picnic at the center once the projects are completed. There will be instructions distributed to residents illustrating how to manage their own storm water run-off. The BRWC will remain available to the community for guidance on projects. Incentives for homeowners may be introduced to encourage our friends and neighbors to do the same to their own properties.

The BRWC, formed in April 2011, has also received a Governor’s Community Participation grant which will allow the group to monitor area streams in our watershed and the Shenandoah River as Jefferson County readies for the 2014 EPA Chesapeake Bay mandates.

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