I was getting into my boat at the put-in the other day and I caught the deep, sharp and unmistakable smell of sewage. This is not typcally the case for the section of river I run, however lately it's become all too common a scene, especially in the spring. Here in the mid-Atlantic, we've been getting some much needed precipitation and I'm not complaining about the rain one bit. Afterall, it's spring rain that help the season come into its own and helps recharge our groundwater sources. But with the good comes the bad. Spring rains wash the wintry litter of salt, sand, cinder and auto residues from our roads and other paved surfaces into sewer systems that empty into our rivers and streams, and stormwater is rarely treated. 

Spring rains don't so much clean up winter's mess as much as it moves the mess downstream for someone else to deal with. Just something to keep in mind - because we all live downstream from someone.