Muddy Water Watch is a region wide initiative to reduce stormwater pollution from construction sites through training workshops and materials developed specifically for citizens. Trained volunteers will help improve construction site maintenance and MOST IMPORTANTLY be proactive in keeping dirt, the country’s number one water pollution problem, out of rivers.
Trainings consist of about nine hours of presentations and site visits that teach volunteers about erosion control, sediment regulations, the regulatory structure, and how they can monitor erosion problems to prevent runoff into our rivers and streams. Hundreds of sites have been monitored and corrected as a result of these trainings. Volunteers have also helped increase the frequency of routine BMP maintenance and, most importantly, have been proactive in keeping mud and sediment out of our rivers. Visit muddywaterwatch.org to learn more about how you can help.
Become a certified Muddy Water Watch volunteer and help reduce muddy runoff into streams and rivers. Sediment is the number one pollutant in the French Broad River Watershed. Sediment is a grave water quality concern because it smothers aquatic life, warms the water, reduces oxygen levels, destroys habitat, and clogs fish gills. The Muddy Water Watch (MWW) program was formed to address this water quality threat. Past trainings have focused on monitoring runoff from construction sites, but this upcoming training will target eroding trails, roads, culverts, logging, and off road vehicle areas in the National Forest. WNCA is working with US Forest Service to help identify areas that are impacting water quality in some of the watershed’s most important headwater streams. There will be on-site training led by French Broad Riverkeeper Hartwell Carson; location and time TBA. The Muddy Waters Watch certification training includes five hours, for only $15 for WNCA members and $20 for non-members, which includes a new WNCA membership. Contact Hartwell Carson at riverkeeper@wnca.org or (828) 258-8737 for more information.