2003 Environmental Excellence Awards

Stormwater Management Facilities and National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Program

Maryland State Highway Administration (SHA) owns and maintains hundreds of miles of stormdrain systems and about 1,500 stormwater management facilities. In 1999, Maryland SHA became one of the first state transportation agencies to be regulated under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES). To successfully comply with the permit requirements in an environmentally responsible and cost efficient manner, Maryland SHA developed an NPDES Program, which places all activities related to stormwater management under a single umbrella and provides a structured template to systematically address stormwater pollution prevention. The Stormwater Management Facilities Program is an example of one of the many programs that fall under Maryland SHA's NPDES umbrella and shows how to go beyond compliance as part of doing business. This comprehensive maintenance program is used to locate, inspect, evaluate, remediate and enhance all of the stormwater management facilities in order to improve water quality, protect sensitive wetlands and water resources, and enhance the aesthetic quality of communities. This program has demonstrated environmental stewardship in the areas of innovative and integrated Best Management Practices (BMPs), enhancements to visual and functional quality, state of the art inspection and data management technology, training, partnering, and unprecedented maintenance and remediation techniques.