Each year BASWG coordinates the Annual Regional Stream Cleanup. This year was our 4th annual event and over 800 volunteers showed up with bags and buckets in hand to collect litter from the watersheds of our local streams and rivers, at the 10 events in Bangor, Brewer, Orono, Old Town, Hampden, Veazie, and Milford.
Had it not been collected, all of this litter would have been carried into our local waterways in stormwater runoff, the water that runs over the surface of the ground during rain storms. At the Brewer Stream Cleanup volunteers learned that stormwater carries other pollutants to the stream as well, such as lawn care products and pet waste, and that we can reduce stormwater pollution year round by doing things like using less fertilizer on our lawns, and picking up our pets’ waste. Special appearances of Stormy the Stormwater Duck also reminded volunteers of this message, which was delivered in the Ducky Ads that aired on TV and radio this summer.
The event couldn’t have been what it was without its generous sponsors, including Lane Construction, NH Bragg, Bangor Daily News, Edwards Family Shop-N-Save, Casco Bay Energy, Union Street Athletics, and others.
Eugene Weldon, Environmental Coordinator at Lane Construction, discusses his company’s role as an event sponsor: “It is through community projects like these stream cleanups that we are able to share our concern for the environment and work together as a team to improve the quality & appearance of those communities. The Lane Construction Corporation is committed to safety and was pleased to provide 500 T-Shirts for these events. The t-shirts were bright orange to increase the visibility of our volunteers and we know how important it is to be visible when working in public areas. We are grateful to the Bangor Area Storm Water group for working with their members to coordinate these events regionally and to all of the volunteers who participated in these events that made them a success.”
The Bangor Area Storm Water Group is comprised of the cities/towns of Bangor, Brewer, Hampden, Milford, Old Town, and Veazie as well as the Bangor International Airport, Dorothea Dix Psychiatric Center, Eastern Maine Community College, Maine Air National Guard, University of Maine, University College of Bangor, Maine DEP, UMaine Cooperative Extension and the Penobscot County Soil and Water Conservation District, working together to make the Bangor Area a better place to live and work.
