Lime Spring Square Brubaker Run
Parts of the Chesapeake Bay watershed contain a high percentage of impervious cover – paved or other hard surfaces such as roofs and roadways that prevent rain water from being absorbed into the ground. Instead, water runs along these surfaces, collecting trash and substances such as motor oil, lawn fertilizers, and pesticides. This polluted stormwater flows into streams and rivers, where it threatens 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: Lancaster, PA
Problem: Lime Spring Square is a commercial development in Lancaster, Pennsylvania with retail, office, medical, industrial, and residential space. The proposed development area straddled an extended reach of Brubaker Run with severely eroded stream banks, poor water quality, and consistent flooding issues.
Solution: Since new development would have exacerbated the flooding and water quality issues, the developer addressed the root of the problem by improving stream function. The project created new wetlands, restored existing wetlands, and restored nearly 5,000 linear feet of the stream. The project reduced flooding, improved water quality, and enhanced groundwater recharge.
Economic Benefits: Oak Tree Development Group met their stormwater management requirements and freed approximately eight additional acres of land for development, which would have been lost using traditional stormwater basins. East Hempfield Township was also able to meet a majority of MS4 Chesapeake Bay Pollutant Reduction Plan goals at no cost to taxpayers.
Type of Project: Floodplain restoration
Total Cost: $1.5 million for design, build, & monitoring
Scale: 8.4 acres of wetlands created, 11.5 acres of wetland restoration, 4,750 linear feet of stream restored
Funding Source: Oak Tree Development Group
Partners: Oak Tree Development Group, East Hempfield Township, LandStudies, Inc.
