Port Tobacco River Conservancy & McDonough High Schoolto Build “Rain Gardens” with $95,250 from Chesapeake Bay Trust’s Targeted Watershed Grant

The Chesapeake Bay Trust recently awarded $92,225 out of an $111,538 total grant to the Port Tobacco River Conservancy, Inc. to improve the water quality of the Port Tobacco River in a joint effort with Maurice J. McDonough High School .  The Port Tobacco River Conservancy, a nonprofit dedicated to restoring the health of the Port Tobacco River and watershed, is spearheading ongoing grassroots educational and restoration projects in Charles County .

The major part of this grant will go toward building two or three “rain gardens,” with planting done with the help of students, school officials, and community volunteers at McDonough High School in Pomfret.  These rain gardens will process run-off water from   1.4 acres of parking lots and roofs. The “rains gardens” – planted with native plants – will improve water quality by acting as a natural filter.  In addition to the rain gardens, small trees will be planted to help stabilize eroding banks in a ravine that has been channeling most of the water away from the school.  

Educational meetings will be held for students and the local community to highlight how the rain gardens and buffer planting benefit this crucial watershed.

Outside areas of the school are already being surveyed and the project will break ground in the spring of 2008. 

Pictures will be posted on McDonough’s Web site at http://www2.ccboe.com/mcdonough when the project begins and the Conservancy (http://www.porttobaccoriver.org) will keep the community informed about its progress.