Systematically monitoring and recording the water quality of Sligo Creek, and educating the public about the importance of clean water for fish and wildlife

What the Water Quality Committee is Doing Now

Volunteers needed! Volunteers will again test summer water quality in Sligo and Long Branch with FOSC and Anacostia Riverkeeper (ARK)

Jackson Ave testing site in Takoma Park

Water quality volunteers are needed to test water quality this summer at 3 sites along Sligo and 1 site on Long Branch. Volunteers record water temperature, air temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, and turbidity, and take water samples to be analyzed for bacteria at Anacostia Riverkeeper’s lab.

The data from the program helps FOSC, ARK, Montgomery Parks, and state and local agencies learn more about the chemical and biological health of Sligo and Long Branch.

Training for new volunteers (required) will be held in-person on Saturday, April 29, 2:00pm – 3:30pm at Long Branch Library, 8800 Garland Ave in Silver Spring. Register for the April 29th training on this ARK calendar page.

An earlier training is also taking place on Wednesday, April 26, 10am – noon via Zoom for the PG Co and the MoCo program. Register for the April 26th training on this ARK calendar page.

No experience is necessary! Open to ages 18 and up, or younger with a parent or guardian.

If you can, please 1) contact the FOSC Water Quality committee chair Pat Ratkowski at [email protected] to let him know you’re interested, as well as 2) register for a training session.

See data from 2022 and the two previous years on the ARK/FOSC Summer Volunteer Water Quality Monitoring and Data page.

Don’t drain water from a pool or hot water heater into the street! It contains chlorine and goes into the storm drain and right into Sligo Creek.

Pool water, wash water, tap water, hot or cold, contains chemicals – chlorine and other compounds – that kill wildlife such as fish, salamanders, frogs, and other aquatics, as well as plants and beneficial bacteria. Keep it out of the storm drain.

Instead, insist that your plumber drain your hot water heater into a utility sink or basement drain that goes into the sewer system, where it is treated before being released.

Nothing should go into the storm drains on the street except rain!

Special guidelines apply when draining pool water.

USGS in Sligo Creek – presentation to FOSC

In Spring of 2022, Chuck Walker of the regional USGS MD-DE-DG Water Science Center spoke on the health and water quality of Sligo Creek. The Water Science Center has partnered with MoCo DEP to collect continuous water quality data on 7 parameters at the Maple Ave gauge. How is Sligo faring compared to other regional streams? Chuck told us about the long term trends and implications for Sligo as our area gets more densely populated. Check out the video on FOSC’s YouTube channel.

Spotlight on: Impact of Road Salt - Fish and Salamander Kill

More than 200 fish and salamanders were found dead in the Flora Lane tributary on February 25, 2021, apparently the result of road-salt pollution from the Capital Beltway, which abuts the little stream.

Our FOSC water quality chair, Pat Ratkowski, was in the process of leading a team doing water testing in Sligo that evening when they noticed a couple dozen dead fish in the tributary. Exploring further up the stream, they noticed many more casualties among fish and salamanders. Their bodies showed… Read more

Spotlight on: Microplastics in our waterways

The impact of microplastics is an important issue in Montgomery County where it is proposed for a section of Ellsworth Drive in downtown Silver Spring. FOSC opposes the use of artificial turf on Ellsworth. See the Ellsworth Synthetic Turf page under the Current Issues page of the Advocacy tab for more information on FOSC’s concerns about synthetic turf.

FOSC Water Quality Committee volunteers have worked to create public awareness on the unseen impact of plastic pollution on humans and on waterways, including fresh waterways such as Sligo Creek. Dr. Jesse Meiller and Dr. Kathy Michels discussed the issue at a February 2020 talk sponsored by FOSC.

Scientists are finding that microplastics are everywhere in our waterways, whether salt water or freshwater. Ongoing research shows that most microplastics are harmful to living creatures and plants life due to their chemical content which does not break down (known as “forever chemicals”.) Synthetic turf is one example of a product that leaches “forever” chemicals as well as plastic bits that are ingested by wildlife.

Report on ARK/FOSC Summer Volunteer Water Quality Monitoring Program

Summer 2021

At a How’s the Water? webinar, Anacostia Riverkeeper (ARK) shared the 2021 Summer Water Quality Testing Program in MD, a collaboration among ARK, FOSC, and NNWB. View the data, takeaways and the Maryland summary report on the ARK/FOSC Summer Volunteer Water Quality Monitoring and Data page. Check out the video of the webinar too.

Summer 2020

Our 2020 summer Volunteer Water Quality Monitoring partnership with Anacostia Riverkeeper, Corazón Latino, Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay, and Friends of Lower Beaverdam Creek ended in mid September. The program was quite successful, with a variety of volunteers taking turns monitoring two sites along Sligo Creek, and five others in the Anacostia River watershed.

“The Coliform results were disappointing. I don’t believe any site in the program ever met fishable or swimmable water standards during the summer, though not entirely unexpected given what our FOSC program has found over the years. I will share highlights from the full results on the WQ page shortly. FOSC participated again in 2021, and I think ARK is hoping to expand the scope of the program to new sites and tributaries if possible.”

— Pat Ratkowski, Water Quality Committee Chairperson

Ongoing Water Quality Committee programs

Volunteers for the Water Quality committee are also running several ongoing programs to help preserve and plan for the health of Sligo Creek:

Organizing teams to monitor the chemical and biological health of the Creek year-round.
Partnering with area citizen organizations to expand the depth and breadth of our water quality program. This includes FOSC’s summer volunteer water quality monitoring program. In winter, we add our Salt Watch Stream monitoring to track the impact on Sligo Creek of salting/brining on roadways and sidewalks.
Running the Water WatchDog program, which provides the public an immediate way to report water pollution as it’s happening to the Montgomery County Parks and Environmental Protection Departments who investigate and may issue fines. Volunteers keep records of contamination events to identify ongoing problems and help resolve them.
Educating the public through water quality presentations and monthly monitoring reports.
Generating support and advocating for state and local policies that will continue to improve the health of the Creek and its surrounding valley.

Wouldn’t it be great if the water in Sligo Creek were clean enough so that people could wade or swim in it without worry? The FOSC Water Quality Committee is working to improve the water quality of Sligo Creek so that it will meet its potential as a natural and recreational resource. While it is currently home to a surprising variety of wildlife, keeping the creek waters healthy for wildlife is an ongoing challenge as the region becomes more populated.

The Committee and FOSC’s members are working with local agencies and nonprofit organizations to meet the challenge, knowing that a healthier Sligo Creek both enhances our everyday lives and benefits the waters and wildlife of the Anacostia Watershed, the Potomac River, and the Chesapeake Bay.

Are you interested in improving Sligo’s water quality?

Consider joining the Water Quality Committee!

The Water Quality Committee works on projects aimed at understanding and improving Sligo Creek’s water quality.

FOSC’s Chemical Water Quality Team regularly monitors 13 sites along the Creek and its tributaries for ten different parameters, keeping track of the Creek’s water quality and the condition of its channel and surrounding habitats. Take a look at the Team’s summary findings on the Water Quality Monitoring Data page. A sample FOSC Water Quality Monitoring Report and a sample Field sheet appear elsewhere on this page.

We also monitor macroinvertebrates for the Maryland Department of Natural Resources Stream Waders program, the Izaak Walton League’s Save Our Streams program, and the Audubon Naturalist Society program.

We try to learn about and promote Sligo Creek monitoring being done by others, and when appropriate, use our findings to advocate for local, county and regional policy changes. Information about our activities is posted on the Friends of Sligo Creek newsletter and listserv. Join FOSC to receive the newsletter.

If you would like to join the committee, participate in Committee activities or have questions, please email Pat Ratkowski, Committee chairperson, through the Contact FOSC page or email WQ at fosc.org.