Little Falls Branch where it comes from under Wisconsin Avenue in Bethesda. Residents have been documenting and reporting the murky water since mid-December.
The Little Falls Branch has been murky for the past 3 weeks and the source is found - sediment coming from construction at the Chevy Chase Club golf course. The site was inspected this week and while, the clubs has a sediment control permit, “multiple failures of the system” were discovered. A citation has been issued and the contractor is required to fix the system.
sediment pollution
Dirt flowing off construction sites is a major sources of sediment pollution for our creeks and for the Chesapeake Bay. The sediment buries the habitat of the organisms who live on the bottom of creek beds; it makes the water cloudy so light cannot get through for the vegetation growing in the water; it can coat animals living in the creek and clog fish gills; it impedes the natural flow of the water; and much more. While there is some sediment from natural erosion, the EPA estimates that 70 percent of the sediment is from man-made causes.
report sediment pollution when you see it.
You can report sediment pollution by calling 311. Sediment control is required on all construction sites in the area. Any project the disturbs the earth - a new house, an addition, a new park, a building - must have a sediment control plan and a permit. If you see mud in the creek or running off a construction site, you are seeing sediment pollution and a failure of the sediment control system. By reporting the site, you are helping to keep our creeks, the Potomac River and the Bay clean.
More on Sediment control in Montgomery County is HERE.
Thank you to the folks at DEP who investigate the 311 reports and more times than not find the pollution source!