Holly Hill Harbor Community Park Stepped Pond
Parts of the Chesapeake Bay watershed contain a high percentage of impervious surfaces – paved or otherwise impenetrable areas that do not allow rain water to be absorbed into the ground. Instead, the water runs along roofs and streets, collecting trash and substances such as motor oil, lawn fertilizers, and pesticides. This polluted water flows into streams and rivers, where it poses risks to aquatic ecosystems and public health.
Effective stormwater management, on the other hand, creates safe paths for polluted runoff to be captured and filtered through the ground before it reaches waterways. This helps keep the environment clean and our communities healthy.
Project location: Edgewater, MD
Problem: Holly Hill Harbor is a waterfront community on the Mayo Peninsula just south of Annapolis. Monitoring at the neighborhood’s community park revealed that water in Bear Neck Creek and Edgewater Creek contained high bacteria counts following rain events, threatening the health of residents as well as local watermen.
Solution: The Holly Hill Harbor Civic Association – an all-volunteer organization – mobilized to tackle this challenge. Using a Green Streets, Green Jobs, Green Towns grant from the Chesapeake Bay Trust, the Association installed a stepped pond with bio cells that strain runoff before it reaches local creeks or the Chesapeake Bay.
Cost: $30,000
More information: http://www.capitalgazette.com/news/for_the_record/cgnews-holly-hill-harb...
