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Potential sites for the $300,000 National Community Decentralized Demonstration Project grant received from Prince George’s County Department of Environmental Resources, (DER), were assessed based on the following criteria:

• Visibility as a demonstration project
• Opportunity to apply a variety of LID techniques to an urban retrofit project,
• Predetermined site improvement needs, and
• Level of maintenance

Of the ten sites considered for the LID demonstration project, the Bowie City Council determined that Whitemarsh Park presents the best opportunity to expend the demonstration grant funds at one location while serving as a visible and centralized educational showcase modeling a variety of LID techniques in an urban retrofit project.

Stormwater running off the existing parking lot at Whitemarsh Park currently drains onto the ball fields below. Bowie City Council, recognizing the drainage problems at this municipal facility, allocated $20,000 to mitigate the problem in 2003 with the installation of an internal drainage system. An additional $140,000 has been slated for construction of a storm water management basin and parking lot resurfacing for Fiscal Year 2006. Incorporating LID techniques into this project may eliminate the need for a retention pond, prevent the fields from becoming waterlogged, and beautify the park. The secondary parking lot although not paved is covered with milling material. This is the parking lot to be paved. Paving this additional lot will only contribute to the drainage problem unless a more impervious surfacing material is used such as gravel, concrete or brick paver blocks, or porous pavement. Installing bioretention cells in the existing islands, a variety of residential style rain gardens at the foot of sloped areas, a weep wall terraced down the hill catching and processing runoff from the drainage pipe, as well as amended soils all will help alleviate the drainage problem.

The existing picnic pavilion between the parking lots could further demonstrate roof runoff catchment via rain barrels. The roof on this picnic pavilion was replaced 5 years ago and is not in need of replacing. However, if grant funds were available, the City may desire to include a living roof component to this project in order to demonstrate a small scale living roof and gain the internal capacity to design and construct larger ones.

Educational signage would be included throughout the project site. Stakeholder meetings, public presentations and possibly hands on workshops will be provided throughout the length of the project in order to educate residents, local governments, and area businesses about LID and the benefits of incorporating such techniques into retrofits of urban properties. The project will be added to the City’s website on the Green Page located at www.cityofbowie.org/green/green/htm.