In celebration of World Water Day, the Silver City Watershed Keepers will be hosting a cleanup event in Big Ditch Park on Saturday, March 25th at 9 am. Meet at 9 am in the Big Ditch Park near the 6th Street entrance behind the Food Co-op. We have limited pairs of gloves available, so bring your own pair, along with water, hat and sunscreen. Trash bags will be provided.

World Water Day has been held on March 22nd annually, since its inception in 1993. The event was initiated by the United Nations General Assembly due to a concern over increased demand for water access, allocation, and services at the 1992 UN Conference on Environment and Development. World Water Day strives to bring attention to the importance of freshwater and the advocacy for sustainable management of freshwater resources.

The theme for this year's World Water Day is "Why wastewater?" According to the United Nations Environment Program, "Instead of wasting wastewater, we need to reduce and reuse it. In our homes, we can reuse greywater on our gardens and plots. In our cities, we can treat and reuse wastewater for green spaces."

The Silver City Watershed Keepers cleanup event will include discussion of how the Town of Silver City reuses treated effluent from the wastewater treatment plant to water the golf course and to recharge the town's groundwater supplies.

Created in 2010 by the Gila Resources Information Project, the Silver City Watershed Keepers is a citizens' water resources stewardship program that engages community members in protection and restoration of the Silver City Watershed.

For more information or to become a volunteer, contact the Silver City Watershed Keepers Coordinator A.J. Sandoval at the GRIP office at 538-8078 or e-mail sandovalalb@gmail.com.

The Gila Resources Information Project is a non-profit environmental organization that promotes community health by protecting our environment and natural resources in southwestern New Mexico.