Partnership with Anne Arundel County Department of Public Works

     Arlington Echo shares a unique partnership with the Anne Arundel County Department of Public Works (DPW) by engaging students in environmental action in their communities by planting native plants in state-of-the-art Regenerative Stormwater Conveyance (formerly Coastal Plain Outfall) Projects.

     These innovative ecosystem restoration and stream retrofit projects utilize a series of step pools, cobble weirs, native stone, and native plants to slow and infiltrate stormwater rather than the ineffective “collect and convey” methods that use stabilization – not restoration – to control stormwater. Stormwater outflow from parking lots, roadways, roofs, and other impervious surfaces has been identified as the primary source of non-point pollution in the Chesapeake Bay watershed.

     The student’s role in this restoration effort begins in the classroom, where Arlington Echo staff initiates an investigation of issues related to stormwater affecting the County’s 12 watersheds. Students learn their “watershed address” and use GIS technology to identify storm drains, outfalls (pipes emptying into streams), and impervious surfaces near the project – often in the communities where they live. Students learn basic engineering and ecological principles associated with restoration and understand the role native plants play in these projects.

     The “action phase” takes place when students visit the newly-restored site to plant native wildflowers, shrubs, and trees as the final part of the construction project. Students know the vital role that these plants play in habitat restoration, nutrient uptake, and soil stabilization. Although the work is difficult, students take pride in knowing that their efforts will have an immediate positive impact on water quality, habitat, and the health of their communities and the Chesapeake Bay.

To date, Arlington Echo and A.A. County DPW have partnered on the following projects:

• Howard’s Branch
• Willelinor
• Palisades
• Homeport Farms
• Riva 400
• Severn Station
• Broadneck Road
• The Preserve at Severn Run
• Aurora Hills
• Gray’s Creek
• North Carolina Avenue
• Marley Station Mall
• Fair Oaks
• Leelyn Road
• Edgewater Elementary
• Shipley’s Choice Elementary
• Hillsmere Elementary
• Eastport/Annapolis Neck Library
• Chesapeake Bay Middle School
• North Cypress Creek
• B&A Trail
• Crofton Trib