Think about the last time you went to an urban stream. Have you ever swam in one? Have you thought about whether or not it is safe to swim in one?

Sligo Creek, which partially runs through Silver Spring, Maryland, is situated within a densely populated and urbanized region and as a result has experienced a deterioration in water quality. Rebecca Hale, Ph.D., Director of the Watershed Science Lab at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, discusses her upcoming research endeavors pertaining to urban streams and water quality. According to Hale, the key to keeping these streams as clean as possible is the equitable distribution of best management practices regardless of the stream’s community.