Stormwater Maintenance Assessment and Recommendations

Final project for ENSP400: Capstone in Environmental Science and Policy (Spring 2020). University of Maryland, College Park.Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning (M-NCPPC), which operates under Prince George's County (PGC) Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR), is responsible for approximately 194 stormwater management systems (SWM) throughout the county that range in scale, complexity, and type. The management of these assets is currently overseen by the Maintenance and Development Division, however, their staff lacks the expertise and training to repair and maintain these structures. Furthermore, an updated best management practices (BMP) maintenance manual is not available for staff and many existing structures need upgrading to meet current standards. Our team aims to assist M-NCPPC in the maintenance and development of its stormwater management structures. To accomplish this, we completed a literature review of best practices for stormwater management, curated customized checklists, and visited nine of the Department’s stormwater management assets to assess their condition. We also propose recommendations for improvements of existing structures. This section of our research aims to assist M-NCPPC staff in maintaining existing and potential new SWM structures. The Department also seeks consolidate its current SWM assets into standardized categories to make forecasting potential maintenance costs and schedules easier. The Department would like to capture best practices used by similar agencies to create standards and start tracking spending metrics of these best practices and become more effective stewards of taxpayer money. This report includes a comparative literature review of national and international SWM BMPs to consolidate the current 16 SWM categories. Based on our research and on an assessment of the nine sites visited, we were able to identify opportunities for improvement and create maintenance guidelines. We hope this work, along with an assessment by an appropriate specialist, helps M-NCPPC maintain and improve existing structures, and develop new stormwater management structures.Prince George's Count