Land Use Change Best Management Practices (BMPs) improve water quality by returning developed areas to a more natural environment.

Impervious Area Removal

Impervious area removal identifies surfaces – abandoned roadways, concrete ditches and raised concrete medians – that can be replaced with grass and trees. Removing impervious surfaces decreases stormwater runoff by letting rainwater infiltrate the soil, which removes pollutants, recharges groundwater and reduces pollution entering local streams.

Forest Planting

Planting trees converts grassy vegetated areas into forested areas. Reforestation is an economical and sustainable way to increase the 'uptake' of pollutants, including nitrogen and phosphorous, and reduce stormwater runoff. The Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration (MDOT SHA) plants deciduous and evergreen trees native to the Chesapeake Bay region. Trees can reduce the intensity of stormwater runoff by intercepting rainfall in their canopy and bark, and by absorbing water through their roots. Tree roots and leaf litter improve infiltration and the soil's ability to convert pollutants into less harmful substances. Planting trees along rivers and streams improves water quality. Creating or expanding forested stream buffers is an effective strategy because trees can uptake and intercept nutrients that would otherwise flow directly from the land into a stream. Tree roots stabilize soil and can reduce the erosion of ​stream banks.

Forest​ planting site on I-695 in Baltimore County