At a Glance
Data collection through sophisticated water quality monitoring can document the effectiveness of erosion and sediment control measures during construction, and the success of innovative and redundant stormwater management practices toward the protection of the natural resources of Little Seneca Creek for our future generations.
Project Description
Clarksburg Town Center is located in Clarksburg, Maryland in the north central portion of Montgomery County. The site consists of 268 acres of land currently under development for commercial and residential use, and is located within the drainage area of headwater tributaries of Little Seneca Creek. Due to the ecological significance of this watershed, Little Seneca Creek has Special Protection Area (SPA) designation from the Montgomery County Council. As a result of the SPA designation, stringent measures are required to protect water quality and quantity toward maintaining the integrity of the biological resources within the watershed.
Due to our expertise in natural resource assessment, Biohabitats was hired to work with County staff and developers to establish goals for the project. Project goals include minimizing stormwater runoff and maintaining predevelopment stream storm flow conditions, minimizing ambient water temperatures, minimizing reductions in stream baseflow, and minimizing sediment and pollutant loading.
Biohabitats role also includes establishing and implementing a monitoring program to track success toward meeting project goals. The monitoring program is designed to document baseline conditions; assess the effectiveness of sediment and erosion control measures during construction; and demonstrated the success of the innovative and redundant stormwater management measures required at this site following construction.