(June 25, 2012) – The State Highway Administration (SHA) has work underway on five environmental projects to enhance water quality, improve stormwater management, and create and restore sensitive wetlands in several areas of Montgomery and Prince George’s counties. 

 

Although physically separate from construction of the Intercounty Connector (ICC/MD 200) highway, the five projects are part of the ICC’s unprecedented environmental stewardship program and include:

 

* Wetlands creations within the Paint Branch Special Protection Area (SPA), bounded on the north by MD 198 (Spencerville Road) and on the west by Peach Orchard Road

SHA awarded the $2.5 million wetland contract earlier this year to Locust Lane Farms, Inc. 

 

This compensatory mitigation project creates and restores wetlands and upland forest areas to enhance groundwater and surface water quality.  The project protects the existing mature trees and wetlands.  Crews are removing ponds to provide habitats more beneficial to water quality.  Areas with invasive species are also being treated and replaced with native trees and shrubs. SHA expects construction to be complete by late 2012.

 

* Stream restoration of nearly one-mile of Mill Creek in Montgomery County

 

SHA awarded the $1.3 million contract last fall to Environmental Quality Resources, Inc.  This environmental stewardship project is located along Mill Creek and its tributaries. 

 

The main stem of Mill Creek originates west of Shady Grove Road, south of the ICC alignment, and flows east where it enters the project area downstream of the Shady Grove Road culvert.  Mill Creek continues until it connects to the main tributary that originates at Mill Run Drive.  At the confluence of Mill Creek and the main tributary, Mill Creek continues in an easterly direction and flows under Redland Road.  This project restores 4,619 linear feet of stream within the Mill Creek Stream Valley Park and the Mill Creek Towne Local Park.  SHA will complete the project by year’s end.

 

* Stormwater Management Retrofits and implementation of Best Management Practices (BMPs) at four separate sites within the Upper Paint branch SPA in Montgomery

SHA awarded the $1.4 million contract last fall to Rustler Construction, Inc.  Construction at the four sites consists of the following: 

 

1. Crews are retrofitting an existing storm drain outfall and installing a new gravel wetland facility.  The new gravel wetland enhances water quality treatment by capturing runoff and providing contact with wetland plantings to promote the natural, biological uptake of nutrients.

 

2. Crews are retrofitting roadside ditches with various stormwater management BMPs to increase the removal of pollutants, improve groundwater recharge, enhance water quality from surface runoff, and reduce the velocity of stormwater runoff at different sites within the Paint Branch SPA watershed.

 

3. This site is an environmental stewardship project located within the Perrywood Estates development.  Currently, the site consists of an existing pond that connects to a tributary of Paint Branch that is being modified to improve water quality treatment and bring the pond up to current Maryland Department of the Environment standards.

 

4. This element of the mitigation project involves constructing a new stormwater management pond on existing parkland at the end of Timberlake Drive.  This shallow wetland marsh will divert untreated storm water from an existing storm drain system and direct it into a pond.

 

Construction activities at all four of these sites are scheduled to be completed in early 2013.

 

* Stormwater management retrofits and implementation of BMPs along Indian Creek in Prince George’s County

SHA awarded the $1.8 million contract to C.J. Miller, LLC. 

 

This site is located on the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Beltsville Agricultural Center (BARC) property near the intersection of Powder Mill Road (MD 212) and Edmonston Road (MD 201) in Prince Georges County.  The site consists of farms and related facilities that drain to Indian Creek.  Work includes constructing two shallow wetland storm water management facilities and constructing a two-cell wetland pond for water quality enhancement and channel protection. 
Crews will complete the work by the end of 2012.

 

* Stormwater management retrofits at four sites in the Olney area of Montgomery County

 

SHA awarded the $1.8 million contract to Ardent Co. LLC for this project.  Construction activities consist of reconstructing four storm water management ponds/basins in the North Branch of the Rock Creek watershed. 

 

All four of the ponds are located west of Georgia Avenue, in the West Olney community near the ICC alignment.  Construction activities are scheduled to be completed in November 2013.

 

More than $370 million, or 15 percent of the overall ICC project budget, is dedicated to environmental stewardship. Of that total, $109 million is dedicated to projects that benefit the communities and natural resources that are either directly or indirectly affected by ICC construction.

For more information about the project, persons may call the ICC Community Outreach staff at 1-866-462-0020 or visit the ICC project website at www.iccproject.com.​
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