Imagine you get a “thunderstorm warning” on your phone. You light a few candles in case the lights go out, and make sure that you cancel your evening walk. You do everything you can to prepare for what the storm might bring. But, did you know that same storm could contaminate your drinking water?
This past Monday, Governor Hogan’s Administration circulated a press release praising local governments for having "met their requirements under state law to develop financing plans to reduce polluted stormwater runoff and protect and restore local waters and the Chesapeake Bay." But most of these plans don't actually meet the requirements of the law.
I had a relative who told me when I was growing up: “If you want to make sure it rains, plan an event that must be held outside.”
I’m pleased to say that wisdom proved correct when our tour of green infrastructure projects at Providence College was held in a light, steady rainfall.
The fact that
Stormwater runoff is one of the leading contributors to pollution in the Chesapeake Bay. After big storms, the water carries whatever is on the ground and in the streets into our waterways. Impervious surfaces, such as the roads and pavement that cover densely populated areas, don’t allow rain to seep into the ground, causing more polluted stormwater to enter the Bay.
On Saturday, July 30th, a flash flood devastated Ellicott City. Approximately six inches of rain fell in two hours, which carried away over 100 vehicles and caused millions of dollars of damage to the City’s roads, sidewalks, and buildings. Not only was there severe destruction of infrastructure
