Press Conference Statements, September 22, 2004

Statement from Ann Hoffnar, co-president of Friends of Sligo Creek follows:

Sligo Creek is a tributary stream, about 8 miles long. It begins in Montgomery County and flows into Prince Georges County. There it connects with Northwest Branch and from there flows to the Anacostia River.

Sligo Creek Park is wonderful little park and it is a very active picnic and playground area.

Any weekend day you can come see how many people are playing in the park.

And there are always kids and dogs are in the water.

Our organization is working to protect and restore the park. We aim to make it as close to its pristine state as possible for an urban stream.

We ask people to come help clean up trash and cut invasive vines. And we are concerned about their health. We know the water is not always safe for wading.

We have had several sewer-line breaks and we have many exposed pipes. Those pipes pose potential threats.

We want WSSC to monitor routinelyâ€”not wait for citizens to alert them to problems.

And we want the pipes repaired and replaced as quickly as feasible.