(December 17, 2014) BALTIMORE, MD—The Baltimore City Department of Public Works (DPW) has been selected to receive a $58,000 grant from the Watershed Assistance -Two-Year Milestone Support grant program, which is a partnership of the Chesapeake Bay Trust and the Maryland Departments of Natural Resources and the Environment.

The grant will support DPW’s development of standards for Environmental Site Design practices in Baltimore City. DPW will use the funding to help develop details for the installation of stormwater practices specific to Baltimore City. In addition, the details will include erosion and sediment control practices.
“Design and construction standards, specific to each jurisdiction, help ensure quality control in stormwater projects,” said DPW Director Rudolph S. Chow, P.E. “These standards will assist in ensuring that Baltimore City meets its regulatory watershed restoration and water quality improvement goals.”

The Watershed Assistance grant program provides local governments and nonprofits support with design assistance, watershed planning and programmatic development associated with protection and restoration programs and projects that lead to improved water quality in the Maryland portion of the Chesapeake Bay watershed, the Maryland portion of the Youghiogheny watershed, and the Maryland Coastal Bays. 

“The purpose of this assistance is to promote local engagement in projects that improve our local communities and local waterways,” said Jana Davis, executive director of the Chesapeake Bay Trust. “We applaud the work of Baltimore City DPW to implement this design project that will ultimately help improve stormwater runoff in Baltimore City.”
 
About the Chesapeake Bay Trust: 
The Chesapeake Bay Trust is a nonprofit, grant-making organization dedicated to improving the Chesapeake Bay and its rivers through environmental education, community outreach, and local watershed restoration. Since its inception in 1985, the Trust has awarded $65 million in grants and engaged hundreds of thousands of citizen stewards in projects that have a measurable impact on the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries. The Trust is supported by the sale of the Maryland Treasure the Chesapeake license plate, donations to the Chesapeake Bay and Endangered Species Fund on the Maryland State income tax form, donations from individuals and corporations, and partnerships with private foundations and federal and state agencies.