Innovative Stormwater Solution Demonstration Site for HOAs in Montgomery County
The Trust spent a fantastic morning celebrating the completion of Rock Creek Conservancy’s Crabbs Branch Conservation Landscaping project in the Derwood Station 2 neighborhood of Derwood, Maryland. This project was funded through the Montgomery County Watershed Restoration & Outreach Grant Program, which is a partnership between the Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection and the Trust.
Planning for this project, which will prevent thousands of gallons of stormwater from flowing directly into Crabbs Branch, was originally initiated by the Derwood Station 2 Homeowner’s Association in 2015, but remained in the planning stage because of lack of funding. The HOA’s partnership with Rock Creek Conservancy and the support from Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection and the Trust enabled them to move forward.
As a nonprofit, grant-making organization dedicated to the preservation and protection of the natural resources of the Chesapeake region, it is our mission to engage as many people as possible in natural resources issues through environmental education, community engagement, and local watershed restoration projects. Projects like this one, one of the largest ever funded through the Montgomery County Watershed Restoration & Outreach Grant Program, exemplify this mission.
Not only is the Crabbs Branch Conservation Landscaping project a great example of nature-based solutions to stormwater pollution, but it demonstrates the power of community-based, green infrastructure projects.
The conservation landscaping project will not only help clean and reduce stormwater runoff into Crabbs Branch, which is a tributary of Rock Creek, but it will educate the community, provide a beautiful, useable community space, and will help rally and engage others in clean water issues as it serves as a demonstration site and model for other HOAs throughout Montgomery County.
While on the surface this project may seem narrowly focused on solving a problem for one community, its implications and impact for the wider watershed are vast.
We are proud to partner with Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection to support projects like this. We commend Rock Creek Conservancy, Darlene Robbins, the landscape designer, and the construction team from J & G Landscape Design for a job well done! It was a pleasure to help you celebrate!
Read more about the Crabbs Branch Conservation Landscaping project (be sure to check out images of the design plan and stunning “before” photos) here.
Read more about the Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection here.
Learn about the Montgomery County Watershed Restoration & Outreach Grant Program and how it could help your organization here.
