Maryland's State Highway Administration (SHA) has established plans to upgrade 15 storm water management facilities along Rte. 100 and I-97 in municipalities stretching from Hanover to Millersville.M/p>
State officials said the $1.8 million storm water project will fulfill preventative maintenanc needs, but local environmentalists said the upgrades will address more serious issues.
"Runoff from cars and roads are untreated," said Severn River Commission chairwoman Lina Vlavianos. "In my mind, flooding is not the priority, water quality is. I'm delighted to see that they are making the effort to do this. Any kind of upgrade will be good."
Kellie Boulware, an SHA spokeswoman, said the projects will keep state facilities up to code. "It's part of our environmental stewardship," she added.
Still in its early planning stages, the project will involve upgrading and rebuilding existing storm water ponds to reduce sediment accumulation; replacing outdate and damaged underground pipes; sloping land tot minimize runoff; and installing undergound filters, also to reduce runoff. Once work begins, the project will take about 18 months to complete.
"This is a response to the fact that the [Chesapeake] bay is dying," said Brad Heavner, director for the nonprofit group Environment Maryland. "It's what I would call a very pressing issue. It's a long-term issue, it's not like somebody's house is about to be flash-flooded, but it's a very serious issue."
Heavner said that the roads were last paved without any consideration for how storm water would flow from them. Rainwater, then, flows to channels where it can reach rivers and ultimately the Chesapeake Bay, picking up fertilizers, pesticides and other pollutants along the way.
"Ideally you would want to mimic the hydrology of the water the way it was before there were roads and artificial structures," he said. "That way the storm water is held, filtered through the soil and eventually makes its way back into the groundwater."
Boulware said the traffic impact should be minimal, that no lane closures will be necessary. The SHA plans to launch advertising for contracts in 2008 and have crews begin work in spring 2009.
Source: Maryland Gazette
