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The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps), Baltimore District, in partnership with Prince George’s County Department of the Environment, started and completed stormwater management construction in summer 2016 at two school properties in Prince George's County. The project was funded with 75 percent federal funds and 25 percent non-federal funds. 

View pictures from the Sligo Creek project.

View a brief video about the Sligo Creek project. 

Sligo Creek subwatershed is one of the most heavily-urbanized subwatersheds within the Anacostia River watershed. 

The Sligo Creek stormwater management project entailed the conversion of two non-functioning bio-retention ponds to submerged gravel wetlands at Cesar Chavez Dual Language Spanish Immersion School and Ridgecrest Elementary School in Hyattsville, Maryland with the construction of an additional gravel wetland at Cesar Chavez.

Project Map at Cesar Chavez

Project Map at Ridgecrest

The purpose of these projects is to capture and treat stormwater runoff from school property during heavy rains from surfaces such as the parking lot, gutters and roofs, and to prevent it from flowing into the Anacostia River and Chesapeake Bay. In the past, after heavy downpours or severe rain events, there was nowhere for the water to go because the bio-retention ponds did not have the capacity to do their jobs. This created localized flooding and standing water, which would eventually get into the streams and pollute the Anacostia River. The submerged gravel wetlands allows water to be naturally-filtered through gravel and wetland plants and put back into the soil. 

Project benefits:

1.)    Decrease flooding on school grounds

2.)    Reduce standing water and potential for mosquito-breeding grounds

3.)    Reduce and filter stormwater runoff that erodes stream banks and causes sediment and nutrient pollutants to flow into the Anacostia watershed and Chesapeake Bay

Project safety measures:

Safety is our main priority for any construction project.

1.)    All contractors, subcontractors and Corps employees on site were subject to security and background checks since the project took place on school property. This is a Board of Education requirement.

2.)    Permanent fencing was placed around the project areas.

3.)    Safety protocols were followed by the contractor to ensure the project area was secured and the work was executed in a safe environment.

4.)    The Corps completed the majority of the project and demobilized construction equipment in time for the first day of school. We wanted to ensure that we were not interfering with school activities or placing construction equipment near students or faculty.