ELLICOTT CITY, Md. — EPA Mid-Atlantic Regional Administrator Shawn M. Garvin made a visit to Howard County to get a close up look at rain gardens being developed by a local youth group to help control stormwater runoff and benefit the Chesapeake Bay, according to a press release.
About 45 high school and college students aged 16-24 are participating this summer in the Restoring the Environment and Developing Youth program, also known as READY, where they will spend up to 40 hours a week creating over 40 rain gardens at churches, schools and non-profit locations throughout Howard County, stated the release.
“The work being done by these young people exemplifies how communities can come together and provide hands-on work to help the environment,” said Garvin. “Rain gardens like these in Howard County and throughout the Chesapeake Bay watershed reduce the flow of storm water into creeks, streams and rivers that feed into the Chesapeake Bay.”
Stormwater runoff is a major cause of water pollution in urban areas and is the fastest growing source of pollution into the Chesapeake Bay, noted the release.
Read the entire press release here.
