From a small donated office in Paradise Township, the Brodhead Watershed Association touches the lives of people throughout much of Monroe County.
“We help protect drinking water for thousands of people in the county,” said Edie Stevens, one of the founders of Brodhead Watershed Association. “Our Streamwatchers monitor water quality, we advocate for sensible development practices that keep water pure, and we work to educate the public about how they can help keep their drinking water safe.”
The Brodhead Watershed stretches from Canadensis to Brodheadsville and from Mount Pocono to Stroudsburg. Started in 1989, BWA is a member-supported organization, dedicated to protecting water quality and quantity throughout the watershed.
Programs include trained volunteer Streamwatchers, geocaching along creeks and streams, rain garden and rain barrel promotion, management of invasive plant species, streambank planting and restoration, and native plant sales and information.
At bridges throughout the watershed, the signs you see identifying the creek or stream you are crossing are placed by the BWA.
A party celebrating BWA’s silver anniversary will be held on October 2 from 6 p.m. - 10 p.m. at the Chateau at Camelback. The celebration includes a cash bar, music and hors d’oeuvres, dinner and program, and silent auction.
Tickets for BWA members are $36 each, $41 for non-members. Reservations due by September 18. You can sign up to attend the celebration, or join BWA at their website.
"It may be difficult to envision the changes in Monroe County twenty-five years from now, but I would hope that the BWA is still here, and still fulfilling its mission...protecting and improving water resources and the environment in the Brodhead and Cherry creek watershed. BWA draws on the vitality of our membership and the contributions they have made to further the health of the watershed, and enhance the quality of life that is so important to residents and businesses alike," said BWA President John Smith, PhD
Did You Know...
-- Pennsylvania has more miles of creeks and streams than any other state in the nation, except Alaska, which is 10 times the size of PA.
-- A baby’s body is 75 percent water at birth. Adult men are about 60 percent water, adult women about 55 percent.
-- All the water that ever existed is on the planet or in the atmosphere today -- continually recycled through the earth, trees and other plants, and atmosphere. Nobody’s making any new water, so we’d better take care of what we’ve got!
