Project Update:
North Branch Bennett Creek Stream Restoration Complete
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The Center for Watershed Protection is happy to announce the completion of 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.
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CWPA Member Spotlight: Meet
Contech
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Contech maintains a stormwater blog, and there is a lot of great content that readers may find interesting. Feel free to subscribe
here
to get notified of their new blog posts.
Contech also has a
large library of case studies
that they are constantly adding new content to. Feel free to share anything that is posted. Below are some examples that readers may find interesting.
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CWPA Member Spotlight: Meet
Cleveland Metroparks
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In 2017,
Cleveland Metroparks
was awarded a $1.88 million dollar grant by the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (OEPA), Water Resource Restoration Sponsor Program (WRRSP) to improve water quality and habitat along East Branch Rocky River (EBRR) and to restore adjacent areas within Mill Stream Run Reservation at Bonnie Park. The project is sponsored by the City of Akron. Project Partners include the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District, Cuyahoga Soil and Water and Rocky River Watershed Council.
The existing lowhead dam serves as an impediment to natural flow, fish passage and macroinvertebrate populations in the river and is largely responsible for this reach being in non-attainment of Warm Water Habitat status. The project will reverse stream impairments and establish a foundation for ecological recovery. Restoration activities include dam removal, floodplain restoration, wetland restoration, and removal of impervious surfaces.
To enhance the guest experience at Bonnie Park, Cleveland Metroparks plans to provide natural surface walking trails and boardwalks. Interpretive signage will be placed throughout the park to compliment the restoration and honor the park’s history.
Cleveland Metroparks has installed two photo monitoring stations focused on the dam removal and wetland restoration, so the public can interact with the restoration. The public can take photos by following instructions at each monitoring location. Photos will show a time lapse of the construction process and can be viewed
here
and
here
.
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New Watershed Science Bulletin: Evaluation of the Benefits of Stormwater Retrofits Using MS4 Monitoring Data in Carroll County, Maryland
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The Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin and the Center for Watershed Protection conducted a pilot study for three subwatershed monitoring locations in Maryland to characterize stormwater discharges and evaluate watershed restoration activities. The main objectives were to determine if there are trends in water quality over time and if they are related to watershed restoration or best management practices (BMPs). This article focuses on a pilot study of the Airpark Business Center in Carroll County, Maryland. Trend analysis of water quality parameters, unit loads, and runoff coefficients was implemented on the water chemistry data using a variety of statistical methods. Overall, the Carroll County subwatershed showed the most noticeable response to BMPs of the three watersheds studied in the pilot, with decreasing metals and nitrogen species noted at the outfall site, where a large wet pond retrofit had taken place. The results suggested that the impacts of the retrofit at the Carroll County outfall could be directly linked to reductions in both pollutant concentrations and pollutant loads.
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2020 National Watershed & Stormwater Conference Highlights
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From April 14
th
through April 16
th
, the Center for Watershed Protection, Inc. hosted its fifth annual National Watershed & Stormwater Conference virtually. We had originally intended to host this year’s Conference in Austin, Texas; however, in the current situation, the Center made the ambitious and difficult decision to transition the Conference to a virtual format, with each Center staff member pitching in from their homes.
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What can the CWPA do for you during COVID?
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The Center for Watershed Protection
has always known that we’re much stronger when we act together. As we continue to navigate new challenges of staying connected while staying six feet apart, we are adding extra benefits to the Membership program to
help us all stay connected during
these trying times.
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CWPA Member Virtual Happy Hour
June 24th, 2020
Staff Members will be leading the discussion “Has the Pandemic changed the way we think about how to manage our watersheds?
Webcast 4: Source Water Impacts – Urbanization and Protection
June 24th, 2020,
1:00 - 2:30 PM EST
Protection of surface and groundwater sources is an essential to public health protection. Recently the America’s Water Infrastructure Act (AWIA) was signed into law. The law requires community (drinking) water systems serving more than 3,300 people to develop or update risk assessments and emergency response plans (ERPs). With this in mind, communities are looking to develop Source Water Protection plans and identify tools to mitigate the effects of development and possible pollutant producing behaviors in drinking water watersheds. This webcast will look at planning level tools and review how some communities have addressed their source water protection requirements.
2020
CWP Virtual Coastal & Island Specialty Conference
November 16th - 17th, 2020
The Center for Watershed Protection’s Coastal & Island Specialty Conference will focus on the unique challenges of these communities including the importance of climate resiliency. An opportunity to hear about the broad spectrum of topics and to take a deeper dive into the issues, this conference will focus on connecting those that live and work in areas surrounded by water, information sharing on the most applicable topics of concern, and hearing about case studies as a way to share experiences and best practices.
2021 National Watershed and Stormwater Conference
April 13th - 15th, 202
1
Join us in St. Pete, Florida
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A big thank you to our newest CWPA members!
Robert P., Robert M., Andrew H., Hendersonville NC, Pamela O., Robert M., Hillary K., Timothy H., Martin R., Diron B., Jeff R., Gabrielle M., St. Michaels Wetlands, Tamara A., Fairfax County, New Castle County, Virginia Tech, James B., Carrie L., Amanda A., Kathy W., City of Alexandria
Connect with all of them and over 500 members in our community
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