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DEP’s watershed restoration programs are helping to fix damaged streams, improve water quality and address historical damage caused by urban stormwater pollution. Watershed restoration is a regulatory requirement of the County's National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) Permit.
Project Overview
Montgomery County wants to meet countywide and watershed-specific restoration goals and water quality standards.
This page provides:
- Further information on the restoration plans and strategies
- Public comments from meetings on this project
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The MS4 Permit Background
The Permit requires development of a Countywide Coordinated Implementation Strategy to meet watershed restoration goals and water quality standards.
It also requires the County to evaluate its codes, regulations, standards, policies, and planning process and develop recommendations to implement Environmental Site Design (ESD) to the Maximum Extent Practicable (MEP). The plans and strategies outlined on this site, establish the steps Montgomery County is taking to fulfill the requirements associated with this permit.
On February 16, 2010, MDE issued Montgomery County's MS4 permit. This 5-year permit complies with the Environmental Protection Agency's NPDES regulations that require large urban jurisdictions to control pollution from stormwater runoff to the maximum extent practicable (MEP).
Major new provisions of the permit include:
- Requiring additional stormwater management for 20 percent of impervious surfaces
- Developing and implementing measurable strategies to reduce trash as part of the County's commitment to a trash-free Potomac River
- Developing implementation plans and timelines to meet regulatory pollution limits for water quality standards
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Watershed-Specific Restoration Plans
For an enlarged version of the map shown above, view the Montgomery County Watersheds  (PDF, 1 pg, 1.3Mb) .
There are 7 watershed restoration implementation plans that are been developed. For more information about a specific watershed and the associated plans click on a specific watershed on the map or on the watershed’s name below.
The goals of these plans are to:
- Identify feasible best management practices (BMPs)
- Quantify the area they treat and the amount of pollutants they can remove from the stormwater runoff before entering into the County's streams, rivers, and lakes
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Watershed Pre-Assessments
There are 3 watershed pre-assessments that have been completed for watersheds that have not been previously assessed. The pre-assessments will be used by the County to develop watershed assessments and associated implementation plans. For more information on the framework the County will use to develop future watershed implementation plans, including pre-assessments, watershed assessments, and implementation plans, please see the Recommended Framework for Completing Future Watershed Implementation Plans. (34pp, 391kb)
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Countywide Coordinated Implementation Strategy
Based on the implementation plans for each watershed, a Countywide Coordinated Implementation Strategy has been developed to meet requirements for stormwater discharge, providing additional stormwater runoff management, meeting the commitments of the Trash Free Potomac Watershed Initiative Action Agreement, and establishing a framework for reporting and evaluating successes—all while including input from stakeholders. The detailed assumptions used in developing the Strategy are contained in the Guidance Document. (PDF, 106 pp, 1.89 Mb)
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Environmental Site Design Strategy
In order to meet Maryland's new stormwater regulatory requirements and comply with the County's NPDES MS4 permit requirements, we developed an Environmental Site Design Implementation Strategy for the County (ESD Strategy) to install ESD practices to the MEP. ESD practices are used to conserve natural features and pre-development runoff patterns. Montgomery County must review and update the County code to comply with this.
You can view summaries from public meetings where the ESD strategy was discussed.
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