West Chicago's First United Methodist Church receives Water Quality Flag

The First United Methodist Church is the first organization in West Chicago to be awarded the Water Quality Flag from the DuPage County Stormwater Management and SCARCE.

The Environmental Stewardship Committee, aka Green Disciples, worked towards earning the flag under the leadership of chairperson Michael Horsley.

Kay McKeen, founder of SCARCE and Mary Mitros, stormwater communications supervisor, presented the flag earlier this summer.

Mary Mitros is the designer of the flag. The three waves of water represent the three watersheds in DuPage County. DuPage County was recognized nationally by the National Association of Counties (NACo) in 2019 for the Water quality Flag program.

The flag is awarded to local institutions who have gone above and beyond in preserving and protecting DuPage's local waterways. Following a series of trainings and hands-on activities,

DuPage County organizations can earn the flag to display at their establishment.

The Green Disciples completed the requirements by early 2020, but the pandemic prevented the award presentation on the 50th anniversary of Earth Day.

"This is a great achievement by members of our community," said Mayor Ruben Pineda. "We are grateful for the leadership and environmental stewardship of the First United Methodist Church's Green Disciples. They have spearheaded many tremendous projects in West Chicago with the support of SCARCE, DuPage County and other partner organizations."

For more information on the Water Quality Flag program, visit SCARCE or DuPage County Stormwater Management.