Several Mobile-area groups are teaming up to help residents in the Three Mile Creek Watershed better manage storm water impacts.
Alabama Power Service Organization (APSO) members from Mobile Division, members of the Plant Barry Environmental Stewardship Team(BEST), local land management company Grief LLC and the Mobile Bay National Estuary Program recently worked together to install rain barrels in the Toulmin Springs Branch Watershed in the Prichard community. The rain barrels are being installed in flood-prone areas to help collect water and reduce the impacts of localized flooding and storm water runoff. Residents can also use the stored water for their lawns or gardens.
Grief LLC donated the rain barrels to the Mobile Bay National Estuary program to help the organization continue its important work in the Toulmin Springs Branch Watershed, which feeds into Three Mile Creek. As a part of a comprehensive management plan, the national estuary program is working to restore Three Mile Creek and the surrounding neighborhoods. Find out more about the plan here.
Coastal Alabama receives more than five feet of rain per year. In urban areas, most of this water washes across hard surfaces, picking up and carrying pollutants into waterways. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency considers storm water runoff to be the greatest threat to water quality in the United States.
Rainwater harvesting, the practice of collecting and storing storm water runoff from roofs and other hard surfaces for future use, is one practical way to reduce impacts associated with residential storm water runoff.
An inch of rain falling on a typical 1,000-square-foot roof yields over 600 gallons of water. Installing a rain barrel at your home is an inexpensive way to capture and store some of this water for later use. With a rain barrel, you’ll not only help reduce storm water runoff, but also have a supply of free, non-chlorinated, soft water for washing your car, watering plants and many other household uses.
The Mobile Bay National Estuary Program promotes wise stewardship of water quality and resources throughout the Mobile Bay water system. The group brings together local citizens, state and government agencies, businesses and industries, conservation and environmental organizations, as well as academic organizations to meet the environmental challenges that face coastal resources.
Plant Barry’s BEST Team is made up of employee volunteers who enjoy volunteering their time to help the local environment. The group meets monthly for stewardship projects. Chemical Technician Whitney Corgill leads the team.
(Courtesy of Alabama NewsCenter)
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