admin, Author at Center for Watershed Protection

Building Tree-Friendly Policies in the City of Charlotte

The City of Charlotte, North Carolina has adopted a “50% in 2050” city-wide tree canopy goal in recognition that trees and other green and open spaces are central elements to connect urban places and create access to the natural environment in Charlotte; and that the urban forest generates resiliency, sustainability, and supports a livable and healthy Charlotte. In 2020, the City’s Department of Planning, Design & Development led a study to better define policies that preserve, restore and enhance tree canopy in the context of the City’s anticipated growth. The City contracted with the Center for Watershed Protection (CWP) and [...]

admin2021-03-26T16:06:49-04:00March 25th, 2021|

Great Lakes Communities to Gain Stormwater Expert

February 17, 2021 Marquette, MI – The Center for Watershed Protection, a national leader in stormwater management and watershed planning, is expanding its work to the Great Lakes region. Greg Hoffmann, the Center’s Director of Stormwater Services, recently opened a satellite office in Marquette, Michigan to serve the watershed. “Opening the Great Lakes office provides an opportunity to expand our reach and protect critical water resources in another vital United States watershed,” said Hye Yeong Kwon, the Center’s Executive Director. “We are thrilled Greg will be bringing his wealth of stormwater knowledge to the largest freshwater system in the world [...]

admin2021-02-26T12:56:34-05:00February 25th, 2021|

Stop The Drip! Water Conservation Around The Home

It's our most precious resource, yet millions of us think nothing of wasting water, and throwing money down the drain. Protecting our watershed starts with water conservation around the home- both inside and out. Here are some easy ways to start conserving water around your home -- and cut down on the pollution flowing into our rivers and streams. Low Flow Low flow toilet Photo credit: Flickr Low flow toilets and showers weren't popular with consumers at first, because low flow also meant less water pressure. That meant some unpleasant surprises got left behind and showers took longer. [...]

admin2021-02-26T12:39:12-05:00February 25th, 2021|

Town of New Market Step Pool Storm Conveyance System

A stormwater retrofit designed by the Center for Watershed Protection (CWP) and constructed by Resource Restoration Group (RRG) in the Town of New Market, Maryland is now complete. This project transformed an historic fire pond into a step pool storm conveyance system that reduces stormwater pollution in the Linganore Creek watershed, a drinking water supply that is part of the larger Potomac River Basin. The project was initially identified as a top priority in the Town’s Stormwater Retrofit Plan developed by CWP in 2019. The New Market fire pond was constructed more than 68 years ago as a water source [...]

admin2021-01-11T15:05:55-05:00January 11th, 2021|

Innovative Stormwater Management in the District of Columbia

The Center for Watershed Protection (the Center) has been helping the District of Columbia stay up-to-date on stormwater management standards for over 20 years. The Center first assisted the District in 1999, with revisions to their draft Stormwater Guidebook, which dated back to 1994. The new guidebook contained what at the time were innovative new sizing criteria for water quality, overbank flood control, and extreme flood control for new development. In 2013, the Center worked with the District Department of Energy and the Environment (DOEE) to again revise their Stormwater Management Guidebook. This time, the update focused on how to [...]

admin2020-12-02T14:09:55-05:00December 2nd, 2020|

Maryland Coastal Bays Watershed Plan

In 2015, the Center for Watershed Protection led the development of a watershed-based plan focused on meeting the nonpoint source TMDL load reductions from the Maryland portion of the Coastal Bays watersheds in Maryland, which include Assawoman Bay, Isle of Wight Bay (including the St. Martin’s River), Sinepuxent Bay, Newport Bay and Chincoteague Bay. The plan addresses the 16 waterbodies with approved TMDLs for nutrients and/or sediment in the Coastal Bays watershed and identifies current and future BMPs to reduce pollutant loads in each TMDL subwatershed. This project involved identification and mapping of existing and proposed BMPs, a desktop assessment [...]

admin2020-12-02T14:21:59-05:00December 2nd, 2020|

Building Capacity to Eliminate Discharges from Grey Infrastructure in Hampton Roads

Communities in the Chesapeake Bay watershed with municipal separate storm sewer system (MS4) permits are required to screen their stormwater outfalls to detect illicit discharges of sewage and other pollutants and take actions to eliminate them. In 2014, the EPA Chesapeake Bay Program (CBP) assembled an Expert Panel to evaluate the nutrient load reductions associated with the elimination of illicit discharges. The panel concluded that nutrient discharges from the sewer system collectively can contribute a significant portion of the dry weather nutrient loads in urban watersheds, and identified a set of actions above and beyond what is required in MS4 [...]

admin2020-12-02T14:21:07-05:00December 2nd, 2020|

Expert Panel on Nutrient and Sediment Removal Performance of Nontidal Wetland Projects

The 2014 Chesapeake Watershed Agreement establishes wetland restoration as a fundamental objective to a more comprehensive Chesapeake Bay watershed restoration goal. Bay partners committed to “create or reestablish 85,000 acres of tidal and nontidal wetlands and enhance the function of an additional 150,000 acres of degraded wetlands by 2025.” Key to the advancement of this strategy is the ability to quantify how increased wetland coverage helps to reduce nutrient and sediment pollution to the Bay. The Center, in partnership with Virginia Tech and the Nature Conservancy, led a Chesapeake Bay Program Expert Panel to quantify the pollutant reduction benefits of [...]

admin2020-12-02T14:24:55-05:00December 2nd, 2020|

North Branch Bennett Creek Stream Restoration Complete

The Center completed a $1.3 million, three-year project to restore over 2/3 of a mile of stream at the Bar-T Mountainside property in Urbana, Maryland. The Center managed the overall project with design and construction support from Ecotone, and the work was funded by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, Frederick County, and Baltimore Gas and Electric. The North Branch of Little Bennett Creek flows through the 115-acre Bar-T Mountainside property, owned by Joe Richardson and operated as an outdoors summer camp and afterschool program. This project restored a 1,744-foot segment of the creek, which, prior to restoration, had three [...]

admin2020-12-02T14:25:33-05:00December 2nd, 2020|

2020 Coastal & Island Specialty Conference Highlights

On November 16th and 17th, the Center for Watershed Protection hosted its very first Specialty Conference—an event with technical content, industry sponsors, and themed activities that were specifically designed around a focus area under the watershed and stormwater umbrella. We intend to hold an annual Specialty Conference each Fall to complement the National Watershed & Stormwater Conference we offer each Spring, which provides a forum for sharing all kinds of fresh ideas on watershed and stormwater management principles and practices. The 2020 Coastal & Island Specialty Conference was held virtually to keep our attendees, presenters, sponsors, and staff safe in [...]

admin2020-12-02T12:29:58-05:00November 24th, 2020|

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