For Immediate Release
June 8, 2020
Media Contacts: Theaux Le Gardeur, Gunpowder Riverkeeper, 410-967-3526, gunpowderriverkeeper@gmail.com
Robin Broder, Waterkeepers Chesapeake, 703-786-8172, robin@waterkeeperschesapeake.org
Gunpowder Riverkeeper Launches Campaign to Reduce Polluted Stormwater Runoff
Campaign will drive citizen action in Harford County to improve local water quality through online pledges
(Monkton, MD) – Gunpowder Riverkeeper has launched the Clear Choices Clean Water campaign in partnership with Waterkeepers Chesapeake to increase awareness about how choices residents make impact local rivers and streams – and ultimately the Chesapeake Bay. The campaign inspires people to pledge to implement water friendly practices that reduce polluted stormwater runoff, such as reducing the use of lawn fertilizer, planting native plants, managing pet waste and volunteering time to help with local clean water initiatives. To take a pledge, Harford County residents can go to myharford.clearchoicescleanwater.org
“The Clear Choices Clean Water Campaign has the ability to increase participation in environmental stewardship with Harford County residents while they stay safer at home,” said Theaux Le Gardeur, Executive Director of Gunpowder Riverkeeper.
The campaign’s core message is that what each of us does matters, and we can all make a difference. Pledge takers see their location on an interactive map – showing the cumulative impact of their pledge alongside many others. They also get an easy, low-pressure way to encourage friends, family and neighbors to do their part and to connect with their local Riverkeeper.
Gunpowder Riverkeeper’s Clear Choices Clean Water campaign is funded by Chesapeake Bay Trust and implemented in partnership with Harford County Department of Public Works with the goal of increasing awareness of how everyday actions taken by residents can have a large impact on reducing polluted stormwater runoff.
Gunpowder Riverkeeper will focus efforts in the watersheds throughout Harford County. Harford County contains four major river basins: the Bush River Basin, the Gunpowder River Basin, the Lower Susquehanna River Basin and the Upper Western Shore Basin – all of which drain to the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. These larger watersheds are made up of many smaller tributaries. For example, the Bush River Basin is comprised of the Otter Point Creek, Bush Creek and Church Creek Subbasins.
“Our 17 Waterkeeper programs across the Chesapeake and Coastal Bays regions are participating in this important campaign that empowers people to take actions to reduce pollution to their local rivers, streams and bays. We’re excited that Gunpowder Riverkeeper Theaux Le Gardeur is the first to offer this program to the residents of Harford County,” said Robin Broder, Waterkeepers Chesapeake Deputy Director.
“The support we’ve received from partnering with local feed stores, pet stores, libraries and community groups has been very encouraging and shows that leaders in Harford County have already embraced this important initiative,” Le Gardeur said.
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Gunpowder RIVERKEEPER® (GRK) is a grassroots, advocacy based membership organization charged with protecting, conserving and restoring the Gunpowder River and its Watershed. GRK works to strengthen ties within the communities that benefit from this vital water resource by engaging in outreach activities, which have an inherent stewardship message that transcends economic, social and educational boundaries.
Waterkeepers Chesapeake is a coalition of seventeen independent Waterkeeper programs working to make the local waters of the Chesapeake and Coastal Bays swimmable, fishable and drinkable. Waterkeepers Chesapeake amplifies the voices of each Waterkeeper and mobilizes these organizations to fight pollution and champion clean water. https://waterkeeperschesapeake.org
Clear Choices Clean Water Chesapeake Bay launched in 2019 is an affiliate campaign of the national Clear Choices Clean Water campaign started in Indiana in 2010. The Tippecanoe Watershed Foundation, the White River Alliance and the Indiana University-Purdue University at Indianapolis Center for Earth and Environmental Science teamed up to implement this unique strategy to increase awareness and knowledge about residential yard choices andtheir impacts on water quality in their watersheds. Learn more about the campaign at https://mychesapeake.clearchoicescleanwater.org