The document discusses traditional stormwater management versus green infrastructure and their impacts on the Chesapeake Bay watershed. It notes that traditional stormwater management allows pollutants to wash into waterways from impervious surfaces, negatively affecting water quality. Green infrastructure can help by using techniques that slow water flow and filter out pollution, reducing the burden on wastewater systems. The document encourages communities in the Chesapeake Bay watershed to implement green infrastructure plans to create a cleaner Bay.

1. The Impacts of Traditional
Stormwater Management vs.
Green Infrastructure on the
Chesapeake Bay Watershed
Presentation by Ashley Anne Strobridge
For GGS 307 – Sustainable Development
George Mason University

2. The Watershed
The Chesapeake Bay
Watershed covers parts of 6
states & Washington DC:
Virginia
Maryland
West Virginia
Delaware
Pennsylvania
New York
Washington DC

3. Quick Facts about the
Chesapeake Bay
 Largest Coastal Estuary in the World
(CBF).
 Supports 3,600 species of plant and
animal life, including over 300 fish species
(NWF).
 The Bay produces about 500 million
pounds of seafood per year.
 Chesapeake Bay and its tidal rivers are on
the Clean Water Act's list of impaired
waters.
 Holds about 18 trillion gallons of water
(CBF).

4. Quick Facts
Continued…
 Only half of the water in the Bay
comes from the ocean. The rest
comes from the 64,000 square
mile watershed.
 Every four years in the CBW, an
area of land the size of
Washington, D.C. is converted
from green filter to grey funnel.
 Most sewer drains don’t go to the
sewage plant – polluted runoff
from your street runs into local
waters and ultimately to the Bay.

5. Current Development Issues Facing
the Chesapeake Bay Watershed
 Dead Zones
 Over-development of land
(building out, not up)
 Loss of Habitat (for land and
sea-creatures)
 Polluted Stormwater run-off

6. Stormwater Management

7. Quick Facts about Stormwater
Management in the CBW
 Impervious surfaces create land area
where water cannot be naturally
filtered of pollutants, and that water
becomes run-off that is full of
pollutants such as motor oil from
roadways, and pesticides and fertilizers
from lawn care.
 Just 1 Inch of Rain Falling on 1 Acre of
Paved Surface Equals 27,000 Gallons of
Polluted Runoff

8.  According to the Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA), urban and suburban stormwater is the source of
about 15 percent of the total nitrogen entering the Bay,
and is the only source that is still increasing. (CBF)
 Stormwater run-off is also responsible for other
pollution entering the Bay such as e-coli from pet waste,
litter such as cigarette butts, and nutrients which cause
algae blooms, suffocating life in the Bay.
The Effects of Stormwater

9.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_det
ailpage&v=UnaksjCobWY
“Unsavory Characters”

10.  The first 5 min of the following video:
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZ98limHhw8
Typical Stormwater Management

11. A Growing Problem
Despite making headway
with other kinds of pollution
to the Bay, pollution from
untreated suburban and
urban stormwater runoff
from blacktop, roofs, and
other hardened surfaces
continues to grow.
40 million lbs. of polluted
runoff in 2011.
But by 2025, there is hope to
reduce that number.

12.  Detach downspouts to prevent them from flowing
into municipal storm drain systems. Install rain barrels
to collect the flow instead.
 Create "pervious" walkways and driveways (of
crushed stone, mulch, or other materials) that return
rainwater to the ground.
 Reconfigure yard space to create rain gardens in low-
lying areas, and replace grass turf with native plants.
(CBF)
What citizens and communities can
do to save the Bay….

13.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UvZW0JOddhU&
list=PLeubfrCJrfk3l1ozr_d-uY2l88zEQpfdg
Green Infrastructure Solutions

14.  A 2006 study compared the 1996 water quality
of the Bay with what it would have been
without the Clean Water Act, and with the Act
there were benefits of $357.9 million to $1.8
billion in recreation and tourist income to just
Virginia.
 VIMS estimated that in 2004 recreational and
commercial fishing in the Bay contributed $1.23
billion in sales, $717 million in income, and more
than 13,000 jobs in Virginia alone.
 Other benefits such as increased property
value from cleaner waterways.
Financial Benefits of a Healthy
Chesapeake Bay

15.  Traditional Stormwater Management affects the Bay
negatively by washing pollutants into the waterways
 Green Infrastructure can improve that problem by slowing
water-flow, and decreasing the amount of pollution that
flows into the waterways by relieving the pressure on
wastewater management facilities.
 Communities throughout the Chesapeake Bay Watershed
can implement these plans to create a cleaner Bay!
Summary

16.  According to the EPA, as of Nov. 2013, the
government was still looking for a database that
would bring together information on the effects of
green infrastructure and stormwater management on
watershed health in specific regions. There is very
little hard data with numbers like that.
 EPA suggested enlisting help from colleges and
watershed societies to do this research and compile
these numbers.
Where the research can continue:

17. References
Chesapeake Bay Foundation. CBF, 2014. Web. 29 Apr 2014.
Chesapeake Bay Foundation. “Polluted Runoff: How Investing in Runoff Pollution Control Systems Improves the
Chesapeake Bay Region’s Ecology, Economy, and Health.” CBF. Jan 2014. Web. 29 Apr 2014.
Chesapeake Bay Foundation. “What is the “Value” of the Chesapeake Bay and Virginia’s Waterways?” CBF. 10 Apr
2014. Web. 29 Apr 2014.
“Chesapeake Bay Watershed Map of Impervious Surfaces.” Chesapeake Bay Foundation. Map. Web. 29 Apr 2014.
EPA. “Using Smart Growth Strategies to Create More Resilient Communities in the Washington, D.C. Region.” Nov
2013. Web. Apr 29 2014. http://www.epa.gov/smartgrowth/pdf/mwcog-guidebook-final-508-111313.pdf
Field Sports Concepts. “Chesapeake Bay Environmental Groups Clash Over Nutrient Trading.” Photograph. 29 May
2012. Web. 29 Apr 2014.
http://fieldsportconcepts.wordpress.com/2012/05/29/chesapeake-bay-environmental-groups-clash-over-nutrient-
trading/
Green City Clean Waters. Philadelphia Water Department. Film. Web. 18 Apr 2014. www.phillywatersheds.org
Green City Clean Waters (3 min Promo). Philadelphia Water Department. Film. Web. 29 Apr 2014.
www.phillywatersheds.org

18. National Wildlife Federation. “Chesapeake Bay,” 2014. NWF. Web. 29 Apr 2014.
Nikki Davis. Sprawl Development. 2014. Chesapeake Bay Foundation website. Chesapeake Bay Foundation.
Web. 29 Apr 2014.
“Polluted Runoff Is Increasing in the Chesapeake Day Watershed.” Chesapeake Bay Program 2011 Model. Chart.
Web. 29 Apr 2014.
Unsavory Characters. Chesapeake Bay Foundation. Film. Web. 29 Apr 2014.