RiverSmart Program Comes to Grace Lutheran Church
By Danielle M. Reyes
Grace Lutheran Church, located at 16th and Varnum Streets, has been selected as one of six houses of worship throughout the District to participate in DOEE’s RiverSmart Communities 2018 grant program.
Launched in 2009, RiverSmart programs help to reduce stormwater runoff that harms the District’s waterways and the Chesapeake Bay. Many Crestwod residents have participated in RiverSmart programs, which provide financial incentives to help District property owners install green infrastructure best management practices (BMPs), such as rain barrels, green roofs, rain gardens, permeable pavement, shade trees, and more. These practices allow rainwater to stay on site and soak into the ground, where natural processes help remove pollutants. BMPs play an essential role in protecting, preserving and restoring our watershed and provide tremendous benefits for our communities, neighborhoods and individual property owners. Every municipality in the watershed is encouraging BMPs.
While prior RiverSmart Communities grant programs focused primarily on effective stormwater treatment, this year’s program emphasizes community engagement and outreach activities that will accompany the installation of stormwater projects.
“We are grateful to be a recipient of the RiverSmart Project Grant which helps us to expand our efforts to restore the environment. The environment is a precious and fragile gift. We look forward to sharing more about the project with our Crestwood neighbors” says pastor Wendy Moen, who is also a participant on Crestwood’s Green Team.
To learn more about the RiverSmart program visit https://doee.dc.gov/riversmart or to learn about installing BMP’s on your property, contact the Anacostia Watershed Society at www.anacostia.org.