‘Community Partners for Clean Streams’ and ‘Waste Knot’ programs announce their 2024 Partners and 2024 mini sponsorship award recipients to help their programs.
Catie Wytychak, a Water Quality Specialist for 10 years with the Water Resources Commissioner’s Office, shared insight on their programs and recipients.
“The Community Partners for Clean Streams (CPCS) program is a voluntary, cooperative effort between local businesses, non-profits and organizations and the Washtenaw County Water Resources Commissioner’s Office,” Wytchak said.
“The goal of the program is to help identify practical, cost-effective ways to protect our streams through pollution prevention. CPCS is a free program that provides information, technical advice, and recognition to participants.”
‘Waste Knot’ is a separate program, according to Wytychak.
“Waste Knot is a similar program but is focused on waste reduction and recycling,” Wytychak said. “Both programs (CPCS and Waste Knot) have been around since the late 90s. I manage CPCS and Angela Wright, with our Materials Management Division, manages the Waste Knot program. We try to collaborate as much as possible.”
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The Community Partners for Clean Streams program
She said there are 471 partners between the two programs, and there are numerous 2024 partners thus far including Lincoln Consolidated Schools, Huron River Chain of Lakes Association, Huron River Watershed Council and Rudolf Steiner School of Ann Arbor
The mini-sponsorships were recently announced. Calvary Presbyterian will build a rain garden. Calvary joined in 2022 because they were interested in being good stewards of their land, planting more trees, and because they wanted to build a rain garden.
“The rain garden funded through our mini-sponsorship program was just built a few weeks ago,” Wytychak said.
Clonlara School will also build a rain garden. Clonlara joined in 2023 because they wanted some technical help in dealing with water pooling on their property.
“We gave them advice on building rain gardens and this mini-sponsorship will go towards building one of those rain gardens. It will be built in the fall with involvement from their students,” Wytychak said.
Creekwood Condos will build a native plant garden. Creekwood joined in 2023 because their property is right next to Swift Run Creek and they wanted to see what they could do on their property to help keep the creek clean.
“We recommended replanting an existing, weedy garden with native plants and that is what the mini-sponsorship is for. Work has begun to remove the weeds in the garden, but it won’t be planted until the fall,” Wytychak said.
Freighthouse rain garden volunteers will test soils within a rain garden for pollutants. The City of Ypsilanti manages this rain garden, joining CPCS in 2008. Last year a group of Master Rain Gardener stewards started caring for the rain garden.
“They are interested in knowing what kinds of pollutants are in the garden, and in what concentrations. When the rain garden was built, it had elevated concentrations of pollutants in the soils left over from the railroad,” Wytychak said.
GIVE 365 and Island Park in Ann Arbor will build a natural shoreline on the Huron River. GIVE 365 joined in 2022 and this is their third natural shoreline mini-sponsorship. “Natural shorelines help reduce erosion along the river and prevent pollution from washing into our rivers. GIVE 365 works with volunteers to install and maintain the natural shorelines,” Wytychak said.
According to Wytychak, rain gardens are the gold standard in terms of slowing down stormwater, soaking it into the ground, and naturally filtering stormwater clean.
“The main goal of Community Partners for Clean Streams is to work with organizations to first take a look at and second to improve practices on their property that may be impacting our streams,” Wytychak said. “Rain gardens are often a way to keep our streams clean, but they are also great at solving puddling problems and look beautiful! We also encourage folks to plant native plant gardens, install shoreline buffer strips, maintain their existing stormwater ponds or basins and try their best to stop any pollution from finding its way into their storm drains.”
Waste Knot
Waste Knot is a similar program but is focused on waste reduction and recycling. Both programs have been around since the late 90s.
Native plant programs are also very ecological.
“Native plants help keep our streams clean in a variety of ways,” Wytychak said. “They have deep roots, sometimes up to 15 feet long, which are working underground to soak up rainwater right where it lands. Our typical lawns have root systems that are only 2 or 3 inches deep, so rainwater quickly flows off our lawns. Too much water flowing all at once into our streams causes problems in the waterways for the critters that live there and for us. Native plants also help stabilize streambanks and steep slopes so that dirt doesn’t wash into our streams. Native plants along a stream can even stop geese from climbing up out of the water and pooping – which adds E. coli – along our streams.”
Upcoming events
Rain Garden Potluck Lunch: Saturday, July 20 from 11:30 am-1:30 pm at Loonfeather Park, Ypsilanti Shelter #1
Volunteer at the Rain Garden Aquatic Planting Day at Dolph Park: Saturday, August 24, 10am-12 pm
Volunteer at the Rain Garden Planting Day at Argo Park: Saturday, September 28, 10am-12pm
Rain Garden Seed Collection & Nature Walk at Buhr Park: Saturday, September 28, 2-4 pm
Rain Garden Free Plant Swap: Sunday October 6, 1-2pm
To attend these events, please email Katie Wytychak at wytychakc@washtenaw.org