Stormwater alert

Rain and stormwater runoff is an issue few people spend much time worrying about unless they have forgotten an umbrella during a downpour or come home to a flooded basement. However, taking appropriate steps to control stormwater runoff is becoming an extremely important issue for Montgomery County.

Prior to the late 1960s, most communities managed stormwater flow through a series of storm drains and underground pipes or concrete-lined culverts which directed water away from homes, streets, and parking lots, only to unleash this massive flow on a stream some miles away. Older, urbanized areas of the County are witnesses to this design -- and to the devastation visited upon nearby stream valleys, which were blasted by incredible volumes of water, sediment, and pollution, changing from gurgling, bucolic streams to 50 foot wide lifeless channels with toppled trees, exposed sewer lines, and deeply cut and eroded banks.

Fortunately, stormwater management planning has evolved dramatically since that time, most notably with the advent of mandatory stormwater ponds and related stormwater facilities. These structures range in design from natural-looking wetland areas and beautiful ponds to dry ponds and infiltration "trenches" lining roadways. They also include an unseen network of oil and grit separators which trap pollutants and sediment, and massive underground storage structures which are often constructed beneath parking lots. All of these structures serve to protect our streams and waterways from the adverse impact of stormwater rapidly running off the growing acreage of impervious surfaces throughout the County.

The Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) estimates that there are 4,600 such stormwater facilities in the County, and that the number is growing daily with each new subdivision and construction project. The majority of the structures, some 3,500, are maintained by businesses, commercial management firms and public agencies. However, the remaining 1,100 are located in Common Ownership Communities, such as homeowner associations (HOAs) and condominium associations.

Alarmingly, an appreciable percentage of these stormwater ponds have not been managed at all -- or only sporadically -- since their construction, with some of them going back to 1968. Often neighbors "know about" some sort of weedy pond on the outskirts of the community, but no one knows why it is there. That lack of knowledge -- and maintenance -- can pose a host of problems for everyone living in the community. After a number of years, ponds will fill up with sediments and pollutants which will have settled out from the stormwater, as was intended. Unfortunately, as sediments accumulate, the effectiveness of these ponds is decreased, which can potentially lead to localized flooding, downstream erosion, and other negative environmental impacts.

For example, accumulated sediment may eventually block the slow-flow orifice in a pond which allows water to gradually leave the pond at a safe, controlled rate. Blocking that drain can virtually turn a quiet pond into an overflowing reservoir until disaster finally strikes, causing hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage. Similarly, in a facility called a dry pond, which is intended to hold water only for a limited period of time and remain dry otherwise, sediment can reduce the pond's ability to drain, causing a dry pond to become an unprotected wet pond or marsh which is now a hazard for children or a breeding ground for mosquitos and other pests.

Additionally, if banks around ponds are not kept clear of trees through a regular program of mowing and inspection, the overall structure itself could be compromised, again leading to a complete failure of the pond or facility.

Mike McElroy, a field inspector from DEP, also takes issue with trash accumulating in many of the ponds and infiltration ditches. Trash, he points out, attracts trash. And while trash is in fact a pollutant, it also becomes a factor in public health while impacting on aesthetics and property values.

DEP representatives stress the point at workshops that the longer a community defers inspection and maintenance, the more costly repairs will be. In fact, there are a number of things that residents can do to help maintain the quality and appearance of their neighborhood stormwater facility on a regular basis without cost, and which can result in a beautiful addition to the community which will actually increase property values. But voluntary measures are only a part of the big picture. For most HOAs and condo associations, this is your wake up call.

In accordance with the Clean Water Act, the Maryland Department of the Environment began issuing stormwater management permits in 1996 to counties requiring that they regulate stormwater runoff and other "nonpoint" sources of pollution that enter local streams and watersheds. Called municipal NPDES (National Pollution Discharge Elimination System) permits, they require that all public, private, and commercial ponds and facilities be inspected once every three years.

Of course, as shown above, even without the inspection requirements, it is essential that stormwater facilities be maintained to protect human health, property, and the environment. The NPDES permit simply provides additional impetus (and the potential for regulatory fines and citations) to ensure that facilities are inspected and maintained. In Montgomery County, DEP is responsible for seeing to it that all ponds are in regulatory compliance by 1999.

For some communities, meeting inspection standards will be painless, especially those communities in which a homeowner association or management firm were proactive in maintaining their ponds on a routine basis. However, many other communities are in for a serious shock, particularly if they have not been setting aside funds to hire a water resource engineer to inspect the facility, nor funds to make required repairs or improvements, some of which can cost as much as $50,000-100,000 for the most neglected ponds.

If you live in a neighborhood built after 1968, or even possibly before, and no one in your homeowners association has ever discussed how best to manage the community stormwater pond, or whether the muck should be cleaned out of that curious roadside ditch, you may be in for an unpleasant surprise.

The 1,100 privately owned and "maintained" stormwater facilities are approximately divided among some 900 Common Ownership Communities (COCs). Nancy Jacobsen at the Commission for COCs recently estimated that there were about 98,000 homes and condo units covered as members of COCs -- about one-third of all the residences in the County. Chances are pretty good that your community has a stormwater pond, and if so, it will need to be inspected within the next year or so.

DEP advises that residents find out right away if they have a stormwater facility. It might be as obvious as a pond, or as invisible as an underground storage tank buried beneath the condo parking lot. Look around, ask your neighbors, call the president of your homeowners association or condo association. If your community is the proud owner of a facility, you are going to need to schedule an inspection. DEP also recommends inquiring at the next association meeting whether a fund has been set to cover maintenance costs.

Fortunately, numerous resources are available to help you and your COC comply with these stormwater requirements, including a list to help locate contractors for inspections and maintenance, a video, cable television programming, and handbook to help your COC understand what various stormwater facilities are, what they do, and how to maintain them. Also, DEP is scheduling a series of community and watershed-based public meetings to explain the details and the potential costs and benefits of the program. Announcements will be mailed in advance of each meeting.

A footnote to the program is that the overall process provides an excellent opportunity for communities to become stewards of the local environment. Neglected ponds can be developed into assets offering magnificent birding and wildlife viewing areas by incorporating inexpensive plantings. Neighborhoods can become safer, property values increased, and future costs avoided by implementing maintenance programs which involve the whole community in the care and protection of their watershed.

Before actually hiring anyone -- or taking any more than the most basic steps to clean up trash or mow grassy areas -- it is imperative that your COC contact DEP's Stormwater Facility Maintenance Hotline at 240.777.7788. To find out more about public meetings, receive contractor lists, or obtain other useful resources, call the DEP Office of Environmental Policy and Compliance at 240.777.7770, or e-mail DEP.