Maryland's Prince George's County must comply with a federal "pollution diet" to clean up the Chesapeake Bay. Over the next 10 years, the county must convert 15,000 acres of watertight surfaces—almost 5% of the county's total area—into surfaces that absorb or treat rainwater.
That will require adding some 46,000 stormwater devices. The county is turning to a novel approach to get the rain gardens, cisterns, permeable pavements, and other devices for filtering and absorbing stormwater built.
These features are geared to slow the rapid runoff from roads and rooftops in order to reduce pollution that flows into sewers and which then makes its way into the bay.
Its partnership with Corvias Solutions, which is in charge of designing, building, and maintaining the improvements, has been hired to convert 2,000 acres by 2017. If the company performs well, that amount could double.
The county will also have its own team of workers to work on another 2,000 acres. Officials will be able compare the performance of the two teams and then decide how to proceed.
Related Stories
Codes and Standards | Apr 18, 2018
New Green Globe pilot program launched
Precursor to revised Green Globes Assessment Protocol for Commercial Buildings.
Codes and Standards | Apr 17, 2018
Contractor charged with fraud in winning $200 million in federal contracts
Accused of falsely claiming veteran- and minority-owned business status.
Codes and Standards | Apr 16, 2018
Wide variations in adoption of National Electric Code could jeopardize safety
An NFPA report found that code adoption is under heavier political scrutiny, leading to delays and decisions motivated by factors other than safety concerns.
Codes and Standards | Apr 12, 2018
Corruption in New York City construction industry is common
Scale of projects, number of players involved contributes to problem.
Codes and Standards | Apr 11, 2018
Urgent need for government to make communities, infrastructure more resilient
More than 350 people died from extreme weather events in 2017.
Codes and Standards | Apr 10, 2018
Boosting energy efficiency helps reduce health risks
Cleaner air results in fewer heart attacks, respiratory disease, and premature deaths.
Codes and Standards | Apr 9, 2018
U.K. business leaders call for zero-carbon buildings by 2030
Real estate, construction industry executives among those supporting the goal.
Codes and Standards | Apr 5, 2018
In Houston, proposed rules would require building above 500-year flood level
Change would impact 85,739 pieces of property.
Codes and Standards | Apr 4, 2018
New ASTM standard supports stucco use in construction
Provides way to measure tensile strength in vertical applications.
Codes and Standards | Apr 3, 2018
LEED v4.1 O+M for Existing Buildings available for beta testing
Update said to be most inclusive and transparent platform to date.
