To the Editor:

The Great Falls Citizens Association would like to thank all those that came to the to the Stormwater Management meeting held on April 12 at the library. Over 60 people were in attendance, showing the strong interest in this issue. The GFCA Stormwater Task Force held this meeting to start the process of educating the community on all aspects of stormwater management. The fact that most people stayed past our usual ending time of 9:30 p.m. shows that those attending realized that protecting the valuable resource is a concern that is not just local, but county, regional and national.

The recent proposals to rezone and develop Brooks Farm and Hill’s Nursery have raised the awareness how lack of stormwater management and deer overpopulation are undermining our forests and fields, leading to flash flooding. Too much stormwater runoff shows up when we lose bridges and when ponds silt up or overrun their dams. Too much stormwater shows that our environment is losing its ability to reduce runoff and water absorption. Managing these water resources is important for communities like Great Falls that depend on water from wells for our drinking water.

GFCA’s Stormwater Task Force meetings are open to all. GFCA has realized that there is much to learn to be able to manage and protect our community's valuable resource. Join us if you share these goals and visit the GFCA website, www.gfca.org for more information.

M.Eric Knudsen, President

Great Falls Citizens Association