Prince George’s County Department of the Environment representative Sudhanshu Mishra (left), and principal of New Hope Academy Joy Morrow (right of sign), pose with students in front of one of their rain gardens.
Across Prince George’s County, individuals, business owners, and non-profit organizations are taking action to protect their natural resources and build a greener, healthier environment. The Prince George’s County Stormwater Stewardship Grant Program was set up in partnership with the Chesapeake Bay Trust to encourage eligible applicants to apply for grants that will improve County neighborhoods while also treating and controlling stormwater.
Stormwater runoff occurs when rainwater lands on impervious surfaces, which are paved areas where rain cannot infiltrate into the ground. Instead, the stormwater flows across the paved surfaces, collecting debris, bacteria from pet waste, and other pollutants along the way. This polluted runoff enters storm drains and flows directly into our rivers. This results in poor water quality for humans and animals that depend on the water source. Impervious surfaces force large quantities of water to flow over paved surfaces rather than being allowed to infiltrate slowly can also cause flooding and erosion.
New Hope Academy (NHA), a K-12 international private school located in Landover Hills, is one such applicant that has used the grant program to implement a project to improve both their stormwater management and their community. Through the Prince George’s County Stormwater Stewardship Grant Program, NHA was awarded a grant to install two bioretention cells (also known as rain gardens) totaling 250 sq. ft. on their school parking lot, along with educational signage about the rain gardens. The two rain gardens included a total of 22 native trees, some of which were blackgum trees. Blackgum trees are known for being an important source of nectar for honey bees, which play key roles in the environment as pollinators.
Educational signage installed in front of Rain Garden.
The rain gardens help to combat the large amounts of runoff that NHA was experiencing on its parking lot. The runoff caused erosion as it flowed through the parking lot into a nearby creek bed. The University of Maryland, a project partner, brought several college classes to the school property to study the stormwater management project’s implementation. This project will serve as an example of a successful, functioning bioretention project for all of NHA’s students, as well as the many visitors that come through their parking lot. The signage installed will also help students and visitors learn more about native plants, and the benefits they provide for our environment.
Congratulations to New Hope Academy for managing stormwater runoff beautifully!
