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Dennis Ave. Recreation Center |
Montgomery County Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP) identified two locations in the Sligo watershed where they wanted to demonstrate ways to manage stormwater runoff less invasively than traditional methods like gutters, pipes and holding ponds. The Dennis Ave. Recreation Center site uses three bio-retention systems, or rain gardens, which have water-loving vegetation and a special mix of soil to reduce pollutants as water filters through the area. The system, installed in 2005, acts like a giant sponge. Since this area is designed to hold standing water for only four to six hours, and mosquito eggs need three days in water to hatch, there is no chance the rain gardens will become breeding grounds for the West Nile Virus. Collecting stormwater in multiple locations closer to its source has several advantages compared to the large stormwater water pond systems that are being used at the Dennis Ave. (Wheaton Stormwater Ponds) and University Boulevard sites. To begin with the smaller amount of water you collect at one location is easier to manage than a massive amount of water collected at the ponds. The stormwater collected at large stormwater ponds also do not protect the creek upstream of the ponds. Rain gardens also help recharge the ground water. The project was made possible by a grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and matching grants from Montgomery and Prince George's counties to build and study low-impact development projects in the Anacostia watershed. University of Maryland researchers will study whether these demonstration sites reduce pollution and runoff.
Additional information:
Montgomery County Department of Environment Information Sheet on Project
Gazette article about the project
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Bioretention cell under construction
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Bioretention cell completed
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