Soil & Water Conservation District hosts Urban Runoff 5K during April

By Ed Pierce

Clean water remains an essential part of healthy communities and for the past decade, the Cumberland County Soil & Water Conservation District has helped raise awareness of the importance of safe and drinkable water through its popular Urban Runoff 5K event.

Next month marks the 10th anniversary of the event that is intended to raise the awareness of stormwater pollutants and support the Soil and Water Conservation District’s clean water youth education program.

“We are celebrating the 10th annual race this year as a virtual event with 5K courses around the region,” said Chris Brewer, Cumberland County Soil & Water Conservation District Manager. “One course will be at our office in Windham featuring the Sebago to the Sea Trail and the Presumpscot River. This event is also part of the Town of Windham’s compliance with education and public participation of their stormwater program, required by the EPA Clean Water Act.”

Brewer said April was originally chosen for the Urban Runoff 5K event to tie in with Earth Day activities.

“In addition to celebrating Earth Day and other environmental events during the month of April, our remaining snow and ice becomes stormwater and can pick up pollutants as it travels to our local water bodies,” Brewer said. “The Cumberland County Soil & Water Conservation District uses this event to promote stormwater hero tips that provide simple steps to reduce stormwater pollutants. We want everyone to become stormwater heroes to protect the health and safety of our water.”

According to Brewer, the Cumberland County Soil & Conservation District is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year.

“The district was established in 1946 as part of a nationwide response to the Dust Bowl,” he said. “As Cumberland County’s land uses have changed over time, the district has worked to meet the soil and water conservation needs of both its rural and urban landscapes.”

He said that the district is a quasi-municipal entity of the State of Maine and is governed by a Board of Supervisors. The board is comprised of five supervisors and additional associate supervisors who meet monthly to identify conservation priorities and opportunities.

As part of raising awareness activities during April, the Soil & water Conservation District is hosting a Stormwater Hero Day from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. April 24 at the district office at 35 Main St. in Windham. During this event, the district will have experts available to answer questions about soil and water conservation topics and offer information and resources about how to incorporate conservation practices on local properties.

Urban Runoff 5K participants will be able to run or walk the equivalent of a 5K anytime during the month of April. Most courses are ADA compliant, and course maps are available online.

Participants can use one of district’s suggested courses or make their own. There also are many different activities and prize opportunities for participants, like Stormwater Bingo and sharing their adventures and heroic actions to the district’s Facebook and Instagram pages (@cumberlandswcd).

To register to participate, visit www.urbanrunoff5k.com.

Brewer said that the more money that is raised through the Urban Runoff 5K, the more that the Soil & Water Conservation District can invest into its youth education program that focuses on connecting students with their local environment.

“Through the district’s youth education program, we provide clean water education to over 800 students throughout the school year,” he said. “The lessons we use are hands-on to connect the students to their natural resources and encourage their future stewardship of clean water and healthy soil.”

Education is at the heart of the Soil & Water Conservation District’s mission, Brewer said.

“We provide educational resources for students and adults, ranging from the classroom to hands on workshops. The Urban Runoff 5K event focuses on preventing stormwater pollution, which is one of the many ways we can help conserve our water resources,” he said. “Additional district education programs include healthy lawn care, community agriculture, invasive plants, invasive forest pests, forestry management, gravel road maintenance, and many other community conservation topics.”

A current list of workshops available is on the district’s event page at www.cumberlandswcd.org/workshops. <