00:40:31 Patrice: yes can see it
00:42:04 Abbey Pachter: A bit hard to hear. can we get more volume,
00:42:28 Diane Hibino - Montgomery: You can adjust your own volume
00:42:56 Joan Porte: you can raise your volume
00:49:55 sarah: Question: understanding that turf grass (lawns) do not absorb a lot of water, is grass marginally better than artificial turf? I am just wondering if the replacement of many grass playing fields with artificial turf has contributed to flood risk.
00:50:11 Kathleen Michels: Will this be posted for future viewing?
00:53:38 Elizabeth: GM I live in DC and my neighbors are also on, is this relevant to us or just Alexandria
00:55:59 Chris Hager (Montgomery): Relevant to everyone!! All of our storm drains often get clogged with leaves, debris, garbage... and cause flooding in lots of areas
00:59:55 Zoom user: GM Elizabeth- this is very important for you and your neighbors to understand. It is relevant. Water and drainage systems are the same in all jurisdictions
01:00:32 Zoom user: We are all impacted by climate change
01:00:41 Sandy Tarpinian - Falls Church City: Do you have any grants or incentives to replace turf with conservation landscapes? Do you consider turf impervious or pervious for calculating stormwarer fees?
01:03:11 Kathleen Michels: Sarah and all - synthetic/ artificial turf contributes to toxic impervious surface and run-off. As a huge plastic rug on rocks it replaces oxygenating cooling grass and filtering soil. Synturf drains to perimeter drains that go directly to stormwater pipes as the backing clogs up and is a literal hot mess of constantly disintegrating plastic carpeting and infill (usually granulated tire waste) , full of toxins including PFAS forever chemicals, Phthalates and many other toxins are in the tire crumb including fish killing chemicals suchas 6PPD
01:03:19 Zoom user: This is also workforce development-green jobs!
01:05:05 Patrice: When you encourage more water off streets in Alex, where does it go? What happens downstream?
01:05:17 Elizabeth: @Zoom User how is this the workforce development-green jobs information being disseminated
01:05:39 Patrice: What happens to the debris/soil that is dredged?
01:06:31 Elizabeth: Great questions @Patrice, because in the DMV we're all connected through our waterways
01:07:32 Kathleen Michels: Synthetic turf is hotter than asphalt! creates impervious urban heat islands and contains and needs to be maintained with chemicals and needs to be" groomed" with gas powered machines for player safety. Grass can be maintained without chemicals and oxygenates the air and filters water through th soil. see www.safehealthyplayingfields.org and www.sierraclub.org/maryland/synthetic-turf
01:07:39 Dan Smith: Is there a printed agenda for this meeting?
01:10:13 Byrne H. Kelly: With regards to artificial turf. natural turf, the run-off coefficient of dormant turf (during hot weather and frozen) is basically the same as impervious pavement.
01:12:45 Abbey Pachter: change to sideshow view
01:13:07 Martha Cooper: We are part of the Chesapeake Bay Area. What should we be advocating with our local governments regarding flooding.
01:16:18 Sarah Matthews: here is the agenda: https://my.lwv.org/district-columbia/national-capital-area/event/lwvnca-...
01:16:40 Byrne H. Kelly: The long time carbon footprint of live turf and that of artificial turf comes into question. Artificial fields often have planned and built in SWM features which capture and then release the StormH2O, grass fields also have these but it is possible they are undersized due to the Run-off coefficient averaging of turf (which is a cool weather crop) therefore it is actively growing and trans-evaporating and hydrating during the spring and the fall.
01:17:47 Zoom user: How is MC supporting homeowners who live in the 100 yr floodplain
01:19:26 Ann: The main contact for senecacreekwp for the county flood issues has been 311 reports
01:21:51 Elizabeth: Great question @zoomuser, we'd like to know how DC is supporting homeowners who live in the 100 yr floodplain as well
01:21:52 Abbey Pachter: is there anything like LEEDS certification (that's fir buildings) for neighborhoods, HOA'S?
01:23:58 Elizabeth: @Williamthomas would you post the get involved with the League of Women Voters information in the general chat
01:25:48 William Thomas: For those of you who are not League members now, here are some ways to Get Involved. Check your local League web sites:
01:26:03 William Thomas: Here are the websites:
01:26:17 William Thomas: LWVDC.org for DC residents
01:26:52 William Thomas: LWVMD.org for Maryland residients, You can find your local league thru the LWVMD site.
01:27:14 William Thomas: And Virginias can do the same with LWV-VA.org
01:27:19 Elizabeth: TY
01:28:02 Zoom user: allianceforthebay.org
01:28:41 Joan's iPad: For one, support retaining the RGGI which funds the Community Flood Preparedness Fund as that is in danger of being abolished in the current legislative session.
01:28:57 Kathleen Michels: Byrne and all. Stormwater facilities are NOT always associated with artificial turf installations depending on county and state, and even where they are they are not meant to deal with water quality or the chemicals and literal tons of plastic fibers and microplastic pollution shed per year from the plastic blades and infill! lSynthetic turf is an enormous ever disintegrating toxin laden plastic carpet that is impervious. Natural turf if installed correctly and maintained at all with aeration is NOT the same as impervious pavement while synthetic turf is. Please see www.sierraclub.org/maryland/synthetic-turf
01:29:50 Byrne H. Kelly: SITES is the website of rating landscape development in the same fashion as LEED
01:30:06 Joan's iPad: Virginia
01:30:15 Abbey Pachter: thanks for SITES info!
01:30:33 Alexi Sanchez de Boado: https://sustainablemaryland.com/ is looking for HOAs to work with
01:30:49 Alexi Sanchez de Boado: on stormwater mgmt
01:31:57 Byrne H. Kelly: Hi all,I am a Landscape Architect, and the owner of thegreenfieldscompany.com I work with the three local RainScapes, RainCheck and RiverSmartHomes programs
01:33:31 Elizabeth: I've been dealing with flooding in my DC home since 1997
01:34:11 Alexi Sanchez de Boado: be careful not equate synthetic turf with natural turf. https://www.safehealthyplayingfields.org/
01:40:13 Diane Hibino - Montgomery: LWVUS position on Water: Support measures to reduce pollution in order to protect surface water, groundwater and drinking water, and set up a process to evaluate inter-basin water transfers.
01:40:37 Diane Hibino - Montgomery: We can advocate with this position!
01:43:43 Alexi Sanchez de Boado: Artificial turf fields might in some instances have stormwater mgmt. associated with them but 1. the artificial turf is a source of microplastics/PFAS/rubber infill discharges to the receiving stream which is a clear violation of county MS4 permits and for which those stormwater mgmt. systems have not been designed to treat.
01:44:55 Alexi Sanchez de Boado: 99% of municipalities simply do not know that those artificial fields are a cradle to grave threat to stream health.
01:49:11 Wendy Fox-Grage: What is Fairfax County doing to mitigate flooding? What are our programs, initiatives, etc, especially with the development of Tysons?
01:49:56 Byrne H. Kelly: Kathleen I am not promoting, and nor do I advocate for artificail turf, and I am all aware of the micro-fiber run-off. Early in my career I worked for Dewberry & Davis, Ben Dyer, EQR and Behnke’s,. While I totally agree the real turf is the better option, it does , unfortunately become compacted and impervious unless a high degree of high carbon footprint maintenance is maintained. I have lectured at Catholic University (2001-2003) in the School of Architecture, my topic was cradle to cradle development of buildings and sites. (BTW, I was also hired by the Sierra Club as an expert witness to shed light on the impacts of the Montrose Parkway, relative to the actually environmental impacts as they were based on fautly wetland delineations) The point is to compare the lifetime carbon footprint of all building materials & methods. Pollution is a central tenant of managing development. So the question I ask is can we manage micro plastic run-off and make it a component of NPDES and MS4
01:50:22 Elizabeth: @MrMedina thanks so much
01:50:29 Kathleen Michels: It seems one of the problems is the lack of lot to lot drainage regulations so no one is held accountable for the run off from their own property - and developers can get waivers from the regulations that are there
01:51:01 Patrice: Can you help LWV develop a more comprehensive position?
01:51:23 Patrice: Would that be something we could take to legislatures in all jurisdictions?
01:51:25 Xiaodong Zhang: For the City of Alexandria and Montgomery County and Fairfax County to get help from engineering consulting industry on flood control and SWM, are there new RFPs coming out in the near future?
01:52:36 Byrne H. Kelly: These are very tough questions to carve out an opinion about. I believe they require additional in-depth scientific research. We need play fields and we need clean water and the management of careful water use equities.
01:53:01 Dr. Gail Clark Dickson: Quality water…issues exist with lead pipes and inadequate water quality. Consider a position…
01:56:17 Elizabeth: To @MrMedina point, the continuation of getting "marching orders" and simply put being told to do this or that in your community, etc., has and will never be the answer and is often why mostly Black (usually referred to as urban) communities are left out. How can we get LWV to take this up as a more comprehensive issue
01:58:14 Catie Torgersen: In Fairfax County, Northern Virginia Soil and Water Conservation District has the conservation assistance program that provides grants to install conservation landscapes (https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/soil-water-conservation/conservation-assis...). There are other similar voluntary grant programs in the region.
01:58:24 Joan Porte: National positions are always vague for just that reason
01:58:42 Elizabeth: It was also in @MrMedina and @dawsof01 presentations regarding equity
01:59:01 Catie Torgersen: The county has a tool to help view drainage basins around your property- https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/landdevelopment/drainage-basin-delineation...
02:01:03 avril Garland: Why is Fx. Ct. building on floodplain areas? Example: the proposed 2-mile long Cinder Bed Road Bikeway and the proposed Pickett Road Connector. Neither of these are needed as the surrounding roads in these cases are adequate for safe cycling. Why are we paving steam valleys?
02:01:08 dawsof01: frank.dawson [at] montgomerycountymd.gov
02:01:22 Kathleen Michels: The bottom line is grass as vegetation is inherently cooling and oxygenating and sustainable over time and grass fields CAN be and often are maintained without pesticides and with practices such a simple aeration which keep them healthy keep infiltration going. Synthetic turf is a triple whammy for the environment-- replaces oxygenating grass and filtering soil with a literal hot mess of greenhouse gas emitting and embodying (non-recyclable and shortlived plastic carpeting and synthetic granulated infill. email shpfc.contact [at] gmail.com
02:01:35 Dr. Gail Clark Dickson: Informative, Thank you!
02:01:38 Catie Torgersen: You can contact me at Catherine.torgersen [at] fairfaxcounty.gov
02:01:38 Elizabeth: Thanks so much so awesome
02:01:45 Joan Porte: yup
02:01:56 Elizabeth: Thanks so much to the presenters
02:02:01 Sherry Zachry: Sarah Matthews, you did a great job! It is so good to see you!
02:02:03 Elizabeth: And LWV