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Friends of the River-Recruiting Businesses

10/11/2009

The New Haven Register (nhregister.com), Serving New Haven, CT


Businesses joining effort to clean river

The Quinnipiac River Watershed Association is recruiting area businesses to become “Friends of the River,” meaning they pledge to follow practices that will help clean the river and its streams.

Any company that becomes a Friend of the River must agree to keep its paved areas and outdoor trash storage in a way that keeps polluted run-off and debris from reaching local streams and the river.

The watershed association and its executive director, Mary Mushinsky, are urging businesses to participate in the program because the river is harmed when rain washes pollutants from paved areas into the nearest storm drain or stream.

“The lower reaches of the Quinnipiac watershed are more than 25 percent paved surface instead of plants, trees and soil, so contaminants wash off pavement and enter storm drains,” Mushinsky said in a statement. “These contaminants travel immediately to streams and the river without filtration.”

Run-off pollution from commercial properties may include oils, petroleum-derived hydrocarbons, cleaning materials and debris that escapes from containers.

The Friends of the River project is supported by a grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the state Department of Environmental Protection, as well as the Community Foundation for Greater New Haven.

For pledge forms, which list ways businesses can help, e-mail qrwa@sbcglobal.net or call 237-2237.

Participating businesses will be publicly recognized and receive a “Friend of the River” decal for their window.
URL: http://www.nhregister.com/articles/2009/10/11/business/doc4acf7f18764c8920032183.prt
© 2009 nhregister.com, a Journal Register Property


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