Watershed Newsletter

   November 2022


 www.pwswcd.org

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Good Water Quality,

Healthy and Sustainable Environment!

Volunteers Make A Difference!

Some Upcoming Water Quality Events

  • November 5 @ 9.am: Neabsco Regional Park Boardwalk and Wetland cleanup (REI Woodbridge) To register click here
  • November 12 @ 9. am: Bull Run Protectors Cleanup in the COSTCO/ Manassas Bull Run Shopping Center Area at 9.am
  • November 12 @ 10 am: Water Quality Monitoring at Bull Run Water Ben Lomond Park, Manassas

Prince William and NOVA Get New Certified Water Quality Monitors and Trainer

Congratulations!

This fall saw the training and certification of biological water quality monitors at Cub Run in Fairfax County. This event also brought together first-time monitors. Kira Carney, the Mid-Atlantic Save Our Streams Coordinator for Izaak Walton League of America supported this event. Five monitors were tested on benthic macro invertebrate identification and field sampling skills. Prince William Soil and Water Conservation District's Water Quality program had an add-on of four new certified monitors and one trainer to its list of certified monitors from this event.


Also present was Melinda Landry, the Environmental Literacy Coordinator for Prince William County Schools (PWCS) and two additional teachers from PWCS and the City of Manassas. This shows the interest by teachers to get more students engaged in water quality awareness, monitoring and water science data.


Congratulations to all the newly certified Water Quality Monitors!

    "Get Involved This Fall"

Promote Clean Water Across Prince William

Neabsco Boardwalk cleanup - Saturday November 5, 2022

On Saturday, November 5, 2022 (9:00 am)


Please join us in cleaning our local waterways!

We will be conducting a trash cleanup at the Neabsco Boardwalk in Woodbridge. Meeting point and parking is at Neabsco Regional Park, 15125 Blackburn Rd, Woodbridge, VA 22191.

For event information visit www.pwtsc.org.


Sponsors of the cleanup are:

- PWC Dept of Parks, Recreation and Tourism

- REI

- PW Trails & Streams Coalition

- PW Soil & Water Conservation District


Please register here. When you register, we can let you know if the event is rescheduled due to bad weather, and we will have a better idea of how many people to expect.

For questions or problems with the form, email: [email protected].

Bull Run Watershed Cleanup

Biological Water Quality Monitoring - Bull Run, Nov. 12 @10 am



Contact: Jess McCaulley @[email protected]

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Cleanup Results:

Thank you for promoting water quality awareness!

108 volunteers, 119 litter bags, 21 tires. Total load collected; 3,360 lbs.

Visit: Articles – Page 2 – Prince William Trails and Streams Coalition (pwtsc.org)


Cleanup Events:


  • Micron Technology Inc. (Broad Run and Cannon Branch)
  • Belmont Bay Paddlers (Belmont Bay)
  • Lyon's Family (Broad Run)
  • The Shoemaker Family (Bull Run)
  • Gar-field High School
  • Sheffield Manor Community (Broad Run)
  • Leopold's Preserve (North folk Broad Run)


Water Quality monitoring

  • Elaine Wilson and Team (Catharpin Creek -Gainesville)
  • Banjamin Simmons (Piney Branch)


Special thanks to the entire chemical monitoring team!

Mr. Eugene Brown is recognized by the Conservation District for his outstanding stewardship in promoting water quality awareness in the community. He is also the founder of "Friends of the Square".


Before 2018, there was always a huge trash/litter accumulation in the Manassas COSTCO and Bull Run Shopping area. This led to the partnership between "Friends of the Square" and the Merrimac Farm Virginia Master Naturalist Chapter in the adoption of the wetland area under the Conservation District's Adopt-A-Stream program to promote more water quality awareness in the community. These efforts brought in Keep Prince William Beautiful and the County's Watershed and Environmental Division to form the "Bull Run Watershed Protectors" in 2019.


Mr. Eugene has been very instrumental in engaging businesses and other partners in this project. For example, through his efforts, COSTCO and Home Depot supported the project with fencing to help keep trash away from the stream.

On the other hand, the Master Naturalists with the support of the Prince William Extension Office have also been working on managing the invasive plants as efforts to transform this area into a native plant habitat.

Join "Friends of the Square" and the Bull Run Watershed Protectors on November 12 @ 9.am for their 13th cleanup event.

Meet Mr. Eugene Brown on more about this community awareness project.

Registration for the 2022 International Coastal Cleanup is now OPEN. To sign up, visit this link: https://forms.gle/rHZzEK7uWQUq7KAy9

Join the Conservation District for Clean Waterways in Prince William

Are you inspired to make a difference in your community by adopting a waterway or pond? Locate any site (orange color) on the map or propose any waterbody/wetland close to home and be part of the District's Adopt-A-Stream/Pond/River Program.
Click here: https://arcg.is/enu04
Promote Science and Research in Prince William Waterways with 'Clean Swell' App!

Explore the Clean Swell App provided by Ocean Conservancy. Record your cleanup data from any location across the County.

Get the free download "Clean Swell" App

Land Cleanup <Enter Group Name <: "PWSWCD"
  • Enter your data as you cleanup
  • Promote Water Quality Awareness
  • Get free cleanup supplies from the District
contact:
Volunteers Needed for the Chemical Monitoring program


With the Conservation District's mission to promote clean waterways in Prince William County, the Water Quality Monitoring program gets an additional YSI water meter to collect more chemical data.

This program follows the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality's (DEQ) data standards and supports the Chesapeake Bay Monitoring Cooperative (CMC) database with the following parameters: conductivity, pH, temperature, Dissolved Oxygen (DO) and turbidity.

Become a Community Scientist with the Conservation District.

For more information, contact: [email protected]
For Chemical Data and monitoring sites in Prince William County, visit: Chesapeake Data Explorer
Water Quality Volunteers Make a Difference!

Together, We Can Make A Change!
To adopt a waterway,
Contact;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rh4r15a-su4&t=15s
Marine Debris Project - Prince William Soil & Water Conservation District

Trash Collection for Educational Outreach and Water Quality Awareness in Prince William County.


The Conservation District is now collecting little portable/colorful/durable plastic items recovered from local waterways within Prince William County, its towns and cities. These items will be used to promote education outreach for more water quality awareness.


Collection period: August - November 2022,

Quality: Items must be made of plastic, attractive, colorful, durable, and not weigh more than 4 pounds.


Bring or send items to Prince William Soil and Water Conservation District.


Be part of this beautiful trash collection project!

Bring/send collected items to:

8850 Rixlew Ln, Manassas, VA 20109


The County's First Trash Trap "Bandalong" needs cleanup every Friday!



Do you know how this trash trap works?


Be part of this data collection program every Friday in the Neabsco Watershed!

For more information, please contact;

Tim Hughes ([email protected])

Become A Certified  Water Quality Monitor in PWC!

Start Your Training Here!

Virginia Save Our Streams!

Promote  Water Quality Awareness in Prince William!

Save Our Streams Certification (iwla.org)

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To all the Farm Field Day Volunteers!  

31st year anniversary!

Some upcoming events

Neabsco Regional Park Boardwalk Cleanup

(Organized by REI)

Saturday, November 5th.

9:00-12:00 Noon

For update visit: www. pwtsc.org and https://www.rei.com/stores/woodbridge

Bull Run Watershed Protectors

(Organized by Merrimac Farm Virginia Master Naturalists and Friends of the Square)

Saturday, November 12. (2nd Saturday of November & 2nd Saturday of March)

9:00-12:00 Noon

Clean Virginia Waterways
August -Early November
Register your cleanup events under this program for more cleanup and litter data in Prince William County.

Registration for the 2022 International Coastal Cleanup is OPEN and you can sign up using this link: https://forms.gle/rHZzEK7uWQUq7KAy9
Thanks again for making a difference!
Prince William Soil & Water Conservation District is funded by Prince William County Public Works Department, Stormwater Management Branch, and through financial and administrative assistance provided by the Virginia Soil and Water Conservation Board, and the Department of Conservation and Recreation, Division of Soil and Water Conservation.
Programs, activities and employment opportunities are available to all people regardless of race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, or political affiliation. Prince William Soil and Water Conservation District is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer.
PWSWCD,  8850 Rixlew Lane , Manassas, VA 20109, Ph.: 571-379-7514 ,Fax: 571-379-8305 

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