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PCB Source Assessment for Baltimore County

  Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are a class of human-made compounds widely used from 1929 through 1979 in manufacturing and industrial applications because of their exceptional fire-retardant and insulating properties. Rising concerns about the toxicity, human health effects, and persistent nature of PCBs in the environment led to a federal ban on the sale and production of PCBs in 1979. Even though PCBs have not been manufactured for many years, their unregulated, historic uses have led to “legacy” PCB contamination. In Baltimore County, Maryland, PCB total maximum daily loads (TMDLs) have been established by the state for four waterbodies; however, few [...]

2023-11-29T10:51:07-05:00November 28th, 2023|

Building Capacity for Low Impact Development in Washington, DC

  Stormwater runoff is problematic throughout the District of Columbia. Since most land within the District has already been developed, improvements to stormwater management rely, for the most part, on voluntary installation of “low impact development” or LID practices as retrofits. These practices aim to retain runoff and reduce the amount of pollution entering District waterways. In 2018, CWP received a grant from the District of Columbia Department of Energy and Environment to build capacity among the city’s nonprofit business districts for the installation and maitnenanceof  LID projects.  These entities provide education and outreach to businesses and residents in their [...]

2023-11-28T13:00:55-05:00September 26th, 2023|

Targeting Outfall Screening Based on Pollution Risk in Baltimore County

  CWP, through an on-call engineering agreement for watershed planning services, assisted the Baltimore County Department of Environmental Protection and Sustainability with developing an outfall screening plan for the County’s more than 12,000 stormwater outfalls. Baltimore County’s stormwater permit requires that the County develop a plan to prioritize outfall field screening efforts in areas with the greatest potential for illicit discharges—defined as discharges that are not composed entirely of stormwater—which are prohibited by the County’s regulations. CWP conducted a series of geospatial analyses that began with an Outfall Inventory to ensure the data associated with stormwater outfalls in the County’s [...]

2023-07-21T12:35:59-04:00July 19th, 2023|

2023 National Watershed & Stormwater Conference Highlights

  The CWP 2023 National Watershed & Stormwater Conference, Value of Water – Stormwater Harvesting & Reuse, Nutrient Trading and Funding, was held April 24-27, 2023, at the Westin in the Gaslamp Quarter in San Diego, CA. This annual conference provides a forum for sharing fresh ideas on watershed and stormwater management principles and practices. For four days, over 200 watershed professionals from federal, state, and local government agencies, consulting firms, universities, and non-profits from across the nation (and some international) gathered for technical presentations, case studies, panel discussions, and workshops. And as always, with CWP events, the conference was [...]

2023-07-21T13:17:03-04:00May 31st, 2023|

Green Infrastructure Assessments for Coastal Resilience

  The  Southeast Michigan Council of Governments  (SEMCOG) and  Center for Watershed Protection  (CWP) were awarded a Michigan Coastal Management Grant to assess locations to build coastal resilience in Southeast Michigan. Through this grant, the project team coordinated with communities to identify high-priority, publicly-owned properties and assess feasibility for green infrastructure. Southeast Michigan has an extensive coast, spanning 400 miles of Great Lakes shoreline from Lake Huron to Lake Erie connected by the St. Clair River, Lake St. Clair and the Detroit River. It is shared by four coastal counties (St Clair, Macomb, Wayne, and Monroe) and 37 coastal communities. [...]

2023-05-24T10:35:14-04:00May 23rd, 2023|

Tracking Progress on the Conowingo Watershed Implementation Plan

The Center for Watershed Protection (CWP) recently released a progress report on the Conowingo Watershed Implementation Plan (CWIP) 2022-2023 Milestones.  The CWIP is a collaboration of three states: Maryland, Pennsylvania and New York.  Progress highlights include developing an implementation framework and strengthening partnerships with outreach to targeted watershed groups.  Maryland committed $25 Million for CWIP implementation through a Pay-for-Success program that will be administered by the Susquehanna River Basin Commission.  Pennsylvania allocated funding for the Clean Water Procurement program through PENNVEST and New York provided implementation funding to the Upper Susquehanna Coalition. The CWIP outlines a comprehensive and cost-effective approach [...]

2023-03-03T10:56:05-05:00March 3rd, 2023|

Maintaining Forests in Stream Corridor Restoration

A recent, rapid increase in the implementation of stream restoration projects in the Chesapeake Bay watershed has led to growing controversy over the short-term adverse impacts of these projects on streamside forest buffers. Stream restoration may also contribute to long-term impacts on the riparian community as delayed tree loss occurs due to altered water levels, soil compaction, and other effects from the adjacent construction activity.  Both stream restoration and forest buffers are a significant component of state plans to restore the Chesapeake Bay by 2025; therefore, the EPA Chesapeake Bay Program has a vested interest in promoting synergy between efforts [...]

2023-05-23T13:46:38-04:00November 28th, 2022|

How Not to Stress About the Effects of Climate Change on Our Planet

There's no doubt about it — climate change is a very real phenomenon that is impacting the globe in a disturbing, almost surreal manner. And because we feel like we have little control over what is happening around us, it is easy to become overly distressed about the situation that we're all faced with. However, it's important not to let our experiences with nature thus far dampen our optimism for the future. Here's how. Coping with the mental aspect of it all If you're experiencing eco-anxiety, it might be helpful to know you aren't alone and that it is okay [...]

2022-11-28T11:55:10-05:00September 26th, 2022|

Project Update: Using a Novel Research Framework to Assess Water Quality Impacts of Urban Trees

Urban trees impact the hydrologic cycle by capturing runoff in the canopy, drawing water from the soil, and adding organic matter to the soil to increase infiltration. These processes collectively contribute to the ability of urban trees to reduce the amount of rainfall that contributes to stormwater runoff. Increasingly municipal stormwater programs allow site developers to earn stormwater management “credit” for preserving or planting trees on development sites. Modeling tools such as i-Tree Hydro and the Center’s urban tree credit calculators have helped to improve how we quantify the effects of urban trees on stormwater runoff. The Center was awarded [...]

2022-12-01T08:11:20-05:00September 21st, 2022|

Project Update: Stormwater Management Retrofit Inventory in Strasburg Borough, PA

For the past three years, the Center for Watershed Protection (CWP) has operated a Circuit Rider program to provide technical assistance to municipalities in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania on reducing stormwater pollution. This work has included technical support to the Lancaster Clean Water Partners, working collaboratively with the Center for Water Quality Excellence to bridge gaps between agricultural and municipal stakeholders, and, most recently, engaging Strasburg Borough in a green infrastructure opportunity analysis. This past Spring, CWP worked with the Strasburg Borough manager and ELA Group to conduct a stormwater management retrofit inventory across the entire Borough. Stormwater retrofits are structural [...]

2022-07-22T15:00:32-04:00July 22nd, 2022|
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