admin, Author at Center for Watershed Protection

Project Update: Helping the City of Raleigh Advance Tree Conservation to Improve Air and Water Quality

The City of Raleigh is one of the fastest growing urban areas in North Carolina with goals to develop with environmental protections to improve and protect air and water quality. The City recognized the importance of the urban forest as an integral part to achieve these goals. In 2019, the City secured the services of the Center for Watershed Protection to determine and recommend how the conservation and/or expansion of forest and tree canopy during development can help to improve water and air quality. This work is intended to address the following goal identified in the Growth and Natural Resources [...]

admin2019-09-27T11:12:11-04:00September 26th, 2019|

Chesapeake Bay Program Stream Restoration Credits: Moving Toward Functional Lift?

I helped lead the effort in developing the Recommendations of the Expert Panel to Define Removal Rates for Individual Stream Restoration Projects with Tom Schueler of the Chesapeake Stormwater Network. The guidance was first published in 2013 with an update in 2014 after a 6-month “test drive.” There it is in print. I can no longer hide from the turmoil that I helped to create in the stream restoration industry. Honestly, the protocols breathed life into a practice that received very low scores in terms of sediment and nutrient crediting by state agencies and the Chesapeake Bay Program. Tom and [...]

admin2019-09-12T11:39:18-04:00September 12th, 2019|

CWPA Member Spotlight: Stephen Jones, President and Founder of PAVE TECH, INC.

Stephen Jones was first introduced to the segmental pavers in 1982 by a contractor in Ft. Worth, TX. After helping the contractor on a paving project, Steve returned home to Minnesota to try to start a paving stone manufacturing plant. For 2 years he was unable to convince local bankers and concrete companies of the future of interlocking concrete pavements. In 1985, still convinced of the future of this new industry, Steve formed PAVE TECH, INC. a residential paver contracting company as a way to stay involved in this exciting new industry. Learning his skills and craft on sidewalks and [...]

admin2019-07-29T14:02:57-04:00July 29th, 2019|

Research, Implementation and Guidance on Roadside Ditch Management in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed

A 2016 report from the Chesapeake Bay Program’s Scientific and Technical Advisory Committee found that improved management of the roadside ditch network could be a cost-effective means of reducing pollution from roads, developed areas, and farmland in many rural and/or un-regulated portions of the Bay watershed. Following the release of this report, the Center for Watershed Protection participated in a Chesapeake Bay Roadside Ditch Management Team to discuss a path forward for defining, crediting and verifying this group of practices. The Center has continued to advance the practice of roadside ditch management through research, implementation and development of guidance. Several [...]

admin2019-07-30T12:24:14-04:00July 29th, 2019|

CWP Celebrates Selection as a Giant Food Community Bag Program Beneficiary

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Center for Watershed Protection, Inc. Contact: Marlyn Argueta, 410-461-8323, mia@cwp.org Ellicott City, MD – Center for Watershed Protection, Inc. has been selected as a beneficiary of the Giant Food Community Bag Program for the month of August. The Giant Food Community Bag Program, which launched in July 2019, is a reusable bag program that facilitates community support with the goal to make a difference in the communities where shoppers live and work. The Center for Watershed Protection, Inc. was selected as the August beneficiary of the program by store leadership at the Giant Food located at Ellicott [...]

admin2019-07-29T14:03:11-04:00July 3rd, 2019|

The Impact of Wildfires on Water

As the climate changes and global temperatures continue to rise, the wildfire season in the United States grows longer. These wildfires are burning hotter, consuming more acres of land, and leaving paths of destruction unlike ever before. Often started by something as small as a spark, wildfires can consume and destroy miles of landscape as well as shift the balance of vital ecosystems. As wildfires continue to grow more and more destructive, we are forced to plan and strategize methods to prevent and contain them. How does a wildfire start? In order for a wildfire to ignite, three elements are [...]

admin2021-02-09T09:30:11-05:00June 19th, 2019|

Where do you live?

I used to have trouble answering that question. According to the U.S. Postal service, I live in Glenside PA 19038, but Glenside doesn’t have a government, school system, or police department. Although it physically resembles a town, it is defined, in part, by a made-up number—a zip code established by the Postal Service for its own convenience. To further muddy the question, the Postal Service lumps other communities into the Glenside zip code, and what most people consider to be Glenside is split between two separate townships. According to the tax collector, I live in Abington Township, Montgomery County, Pa., [...]

admin2019-07-24T14:42:45-04:00June 19th, 2019|

Fostering Collaboration on Restoration Projects to Address Highway Runoff in the Delaware River Watershed

Earlier this year, the Center for Watershed Protection, with assistance from the Pennsylvania Environmental Council, organized and facilitated a workshop with representatives from Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) and members of various watershed organizations from the Delaware River Watershed. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss possibilities for collaboration between PennDOT and organizations working on restoration within the Delaware River Watershed Initiative (or DRWI). As the leading organization on stormwater management in the region, the Center recognized the need for dialogue on this topic, and how synthesizing efforts could drastically increase the efficiency of restoration efforts in the Delaware [...]

admin2019-05-29T12:31:30-04:00May 29th, 2019|

2019 National Watershed & Stormwater Conference Highlights

From April 29th to May 2nd, the Center for Watershed Protection, Inc. hosted its fourth annual National Watershed & Stormwater Conference in Charleston, South Carolina. Each year, this conference provides a forum for sharing fresh ideas on watershed and stormwater management principles and practices. This year, in keeping with the concerns of Charleston, we underscored the importance of coastal resiliency. Here is a download of some of the highlights of the conference! Who was there Over 250 attendees from 30 different states joined us in Charleston this year. Attendees were affiliated with a variety of organizations: federal, state, and local [...]

admin2019-05-29T11:37:08-04:00May 28th, 2019|

What’s in Your Storm Drain Inlet? A Study to Characterize the Loads from Inlet Cleaning

The Center for Watershed Protection, in partnership with Morgan State University, recently completed a research study for Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration (MDOT SHA) to evaluate and provide recommendations to optimize their inlet cleaning program for TMDL compliance. Inlet cleaning is an element of the MDOT SHA’s plan to achieve regulatory compliance for TMDL and MS4 requirements. While there are current crediting protocols and guidance to translate material removed from inlets to nutrient and sediment load reductions, to date, there is limited research to quantify nutrient and sediment load reductions from inlet cleaning. The studies that do exist [...]

admin2020-03-19T10:04:08-04:00March 27th, 2019|

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