April 2000

Water, Water Everywhere

Every day we turn a faucet and get as much water as we need for drinking, cooking, washing and gardening. How often do we think about where the water comes from? How does it get into our homes? How many of us realize that we live in a watershed? How many of us even know what a watershed is? How many of us are aware that our local watersheds provide drinking water for nearly 2 million people?

At the Gunpowder Earth Day Festival, on Saturday, April 22, you'll find the answers to these questions-and more. The newly formed Gunpowder Watershed Coalition has planned an afternoon of activities for the whole family. Based at Oregon Ridge Park near Hunt Valley Mall, the festival will feature live music, food and a variety of environmental activities. Free shuttle buses will transport visitors from the Hunt Valley Light Rail stop to Oregon Ridge.

The festival is designed to bring together groups such as farmers, developers, government agencies, citizens and environmentalists through hands-on activities, demonstration projects and tours. In addition to activities at the park, the coalition has planned field trips to instill an appreciation of the watershed. Learn how good farming practices protect our water. Visit environment-friendly building and development projects. See how water is made safe for drinking at Baltimore City's Montebello water treatment plant. Or, take advantage of the watershed's recreational potential on a trip to Gunpowder Falls State Park. Space on these field trips is limited. Call the Festival Hotline at 410-448-5106 to make reservations.

BMC is a member of the Gunpowder Watershed Coalition and will be present at the festival. The BMC display will include a large map showing the major watersheds in the metropolitan area. Visitors will be able to locate their homes on the map and learn in which watershed they live.

On Sunday, June 11, BMC will co-sponsor the 2nd annual Secchi Dip-In at the Inner Harbor. Volunteers at various stations around the harbor will dip a black and white Secchi disk into the water. The disk is attached to a calibrated rope. Using the markings on the rope, the volunteers will be able to determine the depth of the water when the disk disappears from view.

Father Pietro Angelo Secchi, scientific advisor to the Pope in the mid-19th century, invented the disk that bears his name to test the clarity of water. The principle is simple: The greater the depth, the clearer the water.

For more information about the Gunpowder Earth Day Festival, call 410-448-5106, or go to www.gunpowdervalley.org.

For more information about the Secchi Dip-In, contact Jack Anderson at 410-333-1750, ext. #217.

Posted: April 26, 2000