Mountainhome United Methodist Church has partnered with the Brodhead Watershed Association to install two green infrastructure projects at the church in Monroe County

When rain falls or snow melts in a natural landscape, the water slowly seeps into the earth. But parking lots, roads, roofs, and other hard surfaces interrupt that natural cycle.

Instead of seeping into the earth, stormwater rushes off and scours away, washing sediment and other pollutants into the nearest creek.

One project involved removing solid asphalt and replacing it with pavers that allow stormwater to sink deep into the ground.

The other created an underground holding tank that captures stormwater runoff from the church roof and parking lot, allowing it to infiltrate the soil slowly and naturally.

Mickey Miller, a long-time member and leader of the church, was pleasantly surprised by the results. “I was afraid it was just going to be such a mess,” he said. “But now you can’t even tell where the work was done.”

That’s a good thing. But part of the purpose of the projects was to clue people in on how green infrastructure can purify water and protect beautiful Mill Creek, the heart of Mountainhome.

“Signs will be posted here in the spring,” said Edie Stevens of Brodhead Watershed Association, who got the project rolling. “One shows a cut-away view of the underground trench. The other shows the permeable layers that are underneath the new pervious pavers.”

The interpretive signs will have photos and information about how the projects work.

“Compared to the cost of cleaning up a polluted stream, green infrastructure is a bargain,” Stevens added. “It’s natural, cheap, and much more effective than complicated mechanical systems.”

The Greening Mountainhome project is a Green Communities project funded by grants from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, with support from The William Penn Foundation, and the Weiler Family Foundation.

For more information on programs, initiatives and other upcoming events, visit the Brodhead Watershed Association website or Follow them on Facebook.  Click Here to sign up for regular updates from the Association.  Click Here to become a member.

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[Posted: January 11, 2021]

1/18/2021