Description:
Choctawhatchee Riverkeeper, Inc. (CRK) is partnering with the Alabama Stormwater Partnership to deliver training for citizens who wish to learn how to recognize and report threats of pollution or actual pollution from construction sites. Erosion and sediment control practices on construction sides in Alabama have been and remain so poor that most citizens have seen sediment from one or more sites entering a storm drain or sewer. Perhaps some have seen it so long that they think that construction must result in sediment flowing to streams and other waterbodies. That is by no means the case. The Muddy Water Watch training will teach citizens to observe construction sites and report whether best management practices (BMPs) are present and whether they are maintained and functioning. They will also be taught to look for and document offsite pollution using photography. Citizens will be encouraged to report construction site problems to site operators first and allow a reasonable time for correction. Citizens will also learn how to report suspected permit violations or offsite pollution using a Muddy Water Watch website. The initial training session on September 21st will be from 6:00 – 8:30 p.m. at the Dale County Governmental Complex (Agplex) off Hwy 123 near its intersection with U.S. 231. Thanks to a grant from the Mott Foundation to Mobile Baykeeper, members of the Alabama Stormwater Partnership such as Choctawhatchee Riverkeeper, Inc. are able to offer these workshops at the present time free of charge to concerned citizens. Muddy Water Watch benefits from similar successful programs including Upper Chattahochee Riverkeeper’s Get The Dirt Out program and the Muddy Water Watch Program created by Waterkeeper Alliance members in North Carolina To assure that adequate materials are on hand for the training session participants should RSVP by sending an e-mail to riverkeeper@troycable.net or by calling 334-807-1365. If there is no answer please leave your request as a voice mail. Please RSVP by September 17th.