Stormwater Partners Network

The Stormwater Tour (organized by the Sierra Club, thanks to Steve Lonker) began at the parking lot of the McKenney Hills Alternative Center in Silver Spring (this is an alternative school and part of Montgomery County Public Schools).  Diane Cameron, Conservation Program Director of the Audubon Naturalist Society, began by showing us an aerial map of the Capitol View stream sub-watershed of Lower Rock Creek (approx. two square miles).  Diane described the deforestation of Forest Glen over the past several years.   To help show the impact of the deforestation and the increased levels of impervious surfaces, Diane demonstrated how runoff from the parking lot rushes off the lot damaging a nearby stream.  Diane also reported good news: the acquisition of two mostly-wooded parcels in this subwatershed by Legacy Open Space (Cohen and Milton properties).

Diane pouring water on the parking lot to demonstrate the way that hard, impervious surfaces funnel stormwater at high volumes and velocities into our streams, doing damage to land and water resources.

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Join the Montgomery County Sierra Club on Saturday, October 18, 2008 from 9:30 am – 12:30 pm for a two-stop hike to view stormwater problems and solutions. Meet at the McKenney Hills Alternative Center, 2600 Hayden Drive, Silver Spring, MD. We will investigate the ravages of stormwater on a small stream in lower Rock Creek and then visit a school site that showcases “low-impact” solutions. Learn why stormwater is the number one water pollution source in Montgomery County and how it threatens our clean drinking water supplies, our public lands, and our backyard streams with erosion and contamination.

For more information, http://maryland.sierraclub.org/montgomery/ or contact Diane Cameron at dcameron@audubonnaturalist.org or 301-652-9188×22

For those of you who missed this tour, I posted these photos so you can tour the home virtually.

Background: There are eight RiverSmart demonstration homes; one in each ward in D.C.  These homes feature rain gardens, permeable paving, rain barrels, and trees. Our own Jenny Reed from Takoma Park designed and provided project management oversight of these projects.

Like the Sligo Creek communities, many D.C. homes like the Aspen Street home have smaller yards that limit the size of rain gardens.    The Aspen St. rain garden features native plants and is 24″ deep. (more…)