Worldwide, hundreds of millions of people celebrate Earth Day. Here in the U.S., millions celebrate Earth Month. At DC Water, employees celebrate the Earth every single day.

This year, the United States Environmental Protection Agency has urged everyone to do the following: 1) commit to protect the environment, 2) learn, teach, share and 3) take action.

“DC Water by its very mission takes action every day to protect the health of the waterways and the people who live in the region,” said DC Water General Manager George S. Hawkins. “DC Water provides safe drinking water, collects the water after millions of people use it, and cleanses it before returning it to the Potomac River.”

DC Water’s commitment to protecting the environment is evidenced by the 40+ cranes reaching up into the sky over Blue Plains Advanced Wastewater Treatment Plant. Three massive environmental projects, at a cost of more than $4 billion, are underway, to:
• nearly eliminate combined sewer overflows,
• significantly reduce nitrogen in the water discharged back to the Potomac River, and
• create energy from the wastewater process using anaerobic digestion.

Finally, DC Water teaches and shares conservation and environmental protection throughout the year with its school outreach programs and tap water marketing. During the month of April, DC Water will share information with adults and children at the following outreach events:

April 18th (11 a.m. - Noon)
Green Week at the British School of Washington
Staff will facilitate presentation and hands-activities. Topics include water conservation, water pollution and DC Clean Rivers Project.

April 19th (11 a.m. - 2 p.m.)
U.S. Department of Energy Earth Day Celebration
Water Conservation mobile unit will be onsite.

April 19th (1:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.)
International Finance Corporation Earth Day Event
Taste test challenge.

April 21st (9 a.m. – Noon)
Anacostia Watershed Society Earth Day Celebration
DC Water staff and consultants will participate in the cleanup. DC Water will also provide trash containers to support cleanup activities.

April 23rd (Time TBD)
Howard University Earth Day Celebration
Tap water promotion.

Date & Time TBD
Georgetown University Green Square Event
Launching campus Brita Hydration Stations and conducting a taste test challenge.

In addition, DC Water’s skimmer boats that patrol the Anacostia and Potomac Rivers five days a week, picking up 400 tons of trash each year, will participate in river clean-ups sponsored by local environmental groups. These two dates are:

April 21, 2012
Anacostia Watershed Society (AWS) Annual Earth Day Cleanup and Celebration
Cleanup: 9 a.m.-12 p.m.
Please visit anacostiaws.org for more information.

Saturday, April 14, 2012
Alice Ferguson Foundation’s Potomac River Watershed Cleanup
Cleanup: 9 a.m.-12 p.m.
For more info, (202) 973-8203 or potomaccleanup@ fergusonfoundation.org

For more information about DC Water’s outreach activities, please contact Aleizha Batson, Manager, Public Outreach at 202-787-2200 or Aleizha.Batson@dcwater.com