Stormwater Partners Network

At the introductory MS4 permit implementation meeting on Wednesday night, Montgomery County unveiled a web site it has created to provide information and help with the process.

The site allows you to provide feedback on many specific aspects, including the Countywide Restoration Strategy, Watershed-Specific Restoration Plans, use of Environmental Site Design, and general comments.

You can check out the site and make your comments at http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/stormwaterpermit

This project is to restore a State Highway Administration (SHA) land corridor that adjoins Sligo Creek Park and the Northwest Branch Park. The project made possible by a grant from the Chesapeake Bay Trust is a multi-phase that will provide an opportunity for students and neighbors to learn about how they can have a positive impact on their local streams and the Chesapeake Bay. 

A partnership composed of the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club (PATC),  Northwood High School (NHS), Maryland Department of Transportation - State Highway Administration, Friends of Sligo Creek, and Neighbors of the Northwest Branch of the Anacostia River will work together to do the following:

1). Educate the surrounding communities and students at Northwood High School about native plants and ways to improve water quality in Sligo Creek, the Northwest Branch and the Chesapeake Bay.

2). Clean up and restore the wildlife corridor as a native habitat.

3). Design and build an interpretive trail adjacent to Northwood High School.

(more…)

Dear Stormwater Partners,

Please consider attending this public informational meeting on
Montgomery’s watershed implementation plans, part of the requirements of the County’s new stormwater NPDES MS-4 permit that the Stormwater Partners have worked so hard and so long for, in collaboration with the  County.

Hope to see many of you at our meeting on Monday, November 16, from 6:30 to 9 pm at ANS-Woodend!

- Diane

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On Wednesday, November 18, the Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) will host a public informational meeting on the development of Watershed Restoration Implementation Plans to meet its stormwater permit requirements. The meeting will take place from 7 to 9 p.m. in the Council Office Building, 100 Maryland Avenue, Seventh Floor, Rockville.

The DEP is the lead agency for assuring that the County meets
its National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Municipal
Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) permit. This permit is issued by the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) and requires Montgomery County to control discharges and associated pollutants through its storm drain system. The next round permit requires the County to develop an implementation plan to achieve specific numeric watershed restoration goals, meet stormwater allocations under the Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs) program, keep its commitments in the Potomac Watershed Trash Free Treaty, and provide for public input and participation.

The purpose of this meeting is to provide background on the Permit
requirements, present the framework which will be used for developing
the watershed-specific implementation plans, and receive input from the general public on the proposed approach. Information on the County’s NPDES MS4 permit program can be viewed at http://montgomerycountymd.gov/dep and select ‘NPDES Program’ on the index. For more information about the meeting, contact Meo Curtis, stormwater permit coordinator at 240-777-7711 or at
meo.curtis@montgomerycountymd.gov
<mailto:meo.curtis@montgomerycountymd.gov>.
 
 

Our next meeting will be:

 Monday, November 16th, 2009
 ANS-Woodend
 6:30 to 7:30 pm - Social hour
 7:30 to 9:00 pm - meeting

 On the agenda:

 * Stormwater Permit updates - countywide and Parks permits
 * Anacostia Restoration Plan
 * Forest Conservation Law reform — status?
 * Artificial Turf vs. organically maintained natural turf — updates
 * Ten Mile Creek/ protecting our remaining high quality creeks
 * Environmental Site Design code changes
 * Planning Stormwater Partners’ outreach actions for 2010
 * other items?

 I hope to see you there!

Dear Councilmember Andrews,

The Anacostia Watershed Citizen’s Advisory Committee understands that the Maryland Stormwater Act of 2007 requires Montgomery County to file proposed changes to its stormwater codes to the State before November 11^th.  Because it is critical that these codes be as strong as possible if our streams and waterways are ever going to be restored, we would like the County’s proposed changes to include several features.  

Transparency to the general public should be the operating rule for any proposed development.    The County should post on its web sites or in other major public venues notices of filing of concept plans, site development plans and final plans as well as decisions made on each of these plans.   It should also publish an annual report listing all development plans filed and whether or not Environmental Site Design (ESD) was fully applied in each.   By ESD is meant the use of small-scale stormwater management practices, nonstructural techniques and better site planning to mimic natural hydrologic runoff characteristics and minimize the impact of land development on water resources.   

Developers should be required to state at the site development plan phase and final plan phase how Environmental Site Design (ESD) will be used to prevent erosion and control stormwater volumes.  All concept and site development plans which fail to fully apply ESD should be automatically rejected.  For both new development and redevelopment, at least the first inch of any rain on every site should be managed by ESD. 

The County should commit to integrating the most recent sediment control practices with local ESD codes and plan review procedures including requirements for phasing;  buffer and  natural area set-aside protections and enforcement; turbidity controls; and rapid and complete soil stabilization.  Full stabilization of the site should be achieved within 72 hours of the completion of grubbing.  If sites cannot meet the volume reduction or sediment control goals by ESD, a mitigation fee structure should be established to fund ESD retrofits on other sites in the same watershed.

Including these features are necessary to reverse the decline in the County’s waterways.  Please include them in the County’s submission to the State.   Thank you for your consideration.

Mike Smith

Anacostia Watershed Citizens Advisory Committee