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The Meadowbrook Riparian Enhancement project is a notable example of the type of restoration work implemented on parkland to reclaim historically modified landscape to provide stormwater treatment wetland habitat, enhance the riparian buffer and provide carbon sequestration to aid in the climate resilience of the county. The project transformed half an acre of a mowed turf area into a naturalized riparian buffer with native plantings of 90 trees, 50 shrubs, and 5000 herbaceous plugs. Approximately a quarter of an acre was regraded to create wetland habitat.

The city refocused its Illicit Discharge Detection and Elimination (IDDE) program to target inspections of commercial facilities that have the potential to discharge pollutants into our storm drains and streams. Traditionally, the city inspected 30 percent of outfalls to look for IDDEs. IDDEs were rarely identified, so with MDEs approval we requested to refocus our efforts towards inspecting commercial businesses and eliminating pollution at its source.

Prince George’s County Department of the Environment (DoE) partnered with GV-Petro Joint Venture, LLC (which is a joint venture of GreenVest, LLC and Petro Design Build, LLC) and Maryland-National Capital Parks & Planning Commission (M-NCPPC) to implement the Tinkers Creek Stream Restoration Project; an ambitious, innovative, and complex undertaking that stabilized eroding stream channels, re-connected the floodplain and its associated wetlands, improved habitat for terrestrial and aquatic species, and engaged a diverse community through outreach programs to enhance access to this valuable community amenity. The restoration of perennial, intermittent, and ephemeral stream reaches promoted stability and resiliency in both the stream resources and riparian buffers and delivered a suite of co-benefits including critical utility and infrastructure protection, public and private property stabilization, management of invasive plant species, and reductions in nuisance flooding. As one of the largest stream restoration projects in the State of Maryland at over 40,000 linear feet, this project reduces sediment loading to the Chesapeake Bay by over 4,000,000 pounds per year and represents a successful partnership between public and private entities and a success for the local community and Chesapeake Bay.

The Ray’s Meadow wetland creation and riparian buffer planting project consisted of removing 250’ of pipe and daylighting a drainage channel into a system of floodplain wetland planted with over 4,000 native herbaceous plugs and planting one acre with 200 native trees. This project will provide over an acre of restored floodplain directly adjacent to Rock Creek in a heavily developed area. In addition, the project is located along the Rock Creek trail providing excellent public access.

The Montgomery Parks Volunteer Services Office (VSO) first hosted the Clean Waterways Art Contest in 2021 to connect with local artists and educate the public about stormwater pollution through painting storm drain murals in Montgomery County. Among the entries was a painting by a local environmental artist Pamela Gordimer featuring Ruby the Recycling Octopus, an iconic character created to raise awareness about the effects of litter as a result of stormwater runoff. The painting, titled “Ruby’s Quest”, was painted alongside volunteers and was just the start of a successful partnership between a local artist and Montgomery County Parks (Montgomery Parks). Together, Montgomery Parks and Pamela Gordimer have reached over 100 volunteers over the past two years throughout Montgomery County.

The Woody Ward Community Center stormwater retrofit project aimed to mitigate the impacts of a buried stream and the build environment by restoring the landscape in a way that replicates the services of a natural system, through the various retrofit and restoration techniques employed throughout the project.