Perkiomen Valley Students Awarded For Protecting Schuylkill Watershed

PERKIOMEN VALLEY, PA -- Every year, the Schuylkill Action Network awards three schools in the Schuylkill Watershed that help protect sources of drinking water - that is the creeks, streams, and rivers where we get our water from.

Water protection activities can include stormwater management practices, class projects, educational programs, community engagement, and more, the Network said.

In 2016, Perkiomen Valley was one of the three schools honored, along with Phoenixivlle and Green Woods Charter in Philadelphia.

Eight members of the school's Key Club formed a subcommittee to help plan and install a rain garden, led by Montgomery County Conservation District and Perkiomen Township.

Students planned and installed the rain garden to serve as an outdoor classroom. This is located across the street at the Perkiomen Township Building.

A rain garden is a dug-out, shallow area containing specially selected, native plants. These capture and cleanse rainwater running off hard surfaces, like driveways, parking lots, and roofs. These plants not only remove pollutants from the water, but also they allow for absorption, storage, and the slow release of water back into the atmosphere and groundwater.

The Partnership for the Delaware Estuary is a nonprofit organization that brings together people, businesses and governments to restore and protect the Delaware River and Bay. From its headquarters in Wilmington, the PDE focuses programs and scientific research on the entire environment affecting the estuary — from Trenton to Cape May, New Jersey and Lewes, Delaware.

The group encourages collaboration among the estuary’s many stakeholders and seek practical solutions to help restore the natural vitality of the Delaware River and Bay on which plants, wildlife, people and businesses rely.

The award ceremony will be held on May 3 during National Drinking Water Week.

Image courtesy Schuylkill Action Network.