Maryland County National Leader in Green Infrastructure and Jobs

Kristina Twigg reports on the Clean Water Partnership in Prince George’s County in Maryland, an effort to reduce stormwater runoff while also bringing jobs to the county and local companies. "With nearly 100 more projects currently in the design and construction phases, the Clean Water Partnership is well over halfway to its ultimate goal of retrofitting 4,000 acres to capture stormwater."

By 2018, the initial $100-million, three-year program had treated 2,000 acres of rooftops and pavement and was $8 million under budget. "From student-planted rain gardens at county schools to upgraded lakes in beloved community greenspaces, these improvements together capture and clean more than 1.6 billion gallons of runoff per year," notes Twigg.

The investment in the local community has also been successful, adds Twigg. "County residents performed more than 50 percent of hours worked on the program, and 80 percent of the program dollars went to local, small, minority-owned businesses."