1) Salt Watch Stream Monitoring A program in which volunteers test the level of road salt in Sligo waters before, during and after a snow event. The WQ Committee provides the simple testing kits through a partnership with the Izaak Walton League. Committee members provide guidance on selecting a location to test and coordinate testing dates/times across the Sligo watershed. Check out the FOSC Salt Monitoring Initiatives page for more information on volunteering for winter 2022-2023.

2) Excessive Road/Sidewalk Salt Pile Reporting If you see an excessive salt pile in the Sligo Creek Watershed, please send an email with location, date, time and a photo to [email protected]. We will try to get the County, State or responsible party to remove excessive salt piles before they go into Sligo Creek. View the watershed map on the Maps of Sligo Creek page.

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 aquatic life, 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!

These special guidelines apply when draining pool water:

Jackson Ave testing site in Takoma Park

Water quality volunteers test 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. To volunteer for the Summer 2023 team, please contact the Water Quality committee chair Pat Ratkowski at [email protected] See data from 2022 and the two previous years on the ARK/FOSC Summer Volunteer Water Quality Monitoring and Data page.

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.

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.

"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."

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

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.

Coliform bacteria testing plate