Day 3: Decisions are made by those who show up!
Tuesday, July 12, 2011 - 4:49pm
I had the chance to talk to Whit on the phone today. He and Joe had a photo-finish last night, setting up camp moments before a large thunderstorm rolled through Smallwood State Park. Can you imagine camping through the storm? These guys are in the vein of Bear Grylls (of Man vs. Wild fame).
Here's his recap from Monday:
"As we left Pohick Bay, it looked like we were in for a day of calm, friendly weather. We were excited. As soon as we got out into the main channel of the river, however, there were strong winds of 25-30 knots blowing in our faces. The river was whitecapping. After fighting our way up river we stopped on a windy and weathered beach at High Point near the Occoquan Bay for lunch, then continued across the Occoquan Bay to Leesylvania State Park.
"Leesylvania State Park was beautiful. Nice public beach, good fishing and facilities, lots of families...but also lots of signs that read 'No Swimming Due to Dangerous Water Quality.'" [See nearby picture]
A public beach with no swimming? It's an all-too-familiar story. Pollution violations upstream make their way into your favorite swimming spot. Heavy rains overwhelm antiquated sewer systems full of raw sewage that discharge directly into our water supply.
Potomac Riverkeeper and our partners at local law clinics (the University of Maryland, Georgetown University, Widener University, George Washington University, and the University of Virginia) regularly monitor pollution permits and mine for serious violations. Our work has led to some some big improvements in water quality.
We also make comments on wastewater treatments plants. In one instance, our comments increased pollution protections by 25% because we were the only group that commented at all. As the saying goes, decisions are made by those who show up.
As the guys steadily make their way down the Potomac River, they are documenting some beautiful sights on our live twitter feed. But that's not all they are doing. Whit and Joe are reminding us that there is a river out there waiting to be explored, paddled, and--yes--swam in. They are showing up.
If you haven't already, head over to our Island to Island page to sponsor a leg of their journey. We've already gotten some big donations, including a VERY generous $500 donation today, but every bit helps. In fact, sponsoring 50 cents per mile (a $45 donation) is just about the same as year-long membership to Potomac Riverkeeper.
Thanks for following!
