Carolyn Condo Stormwater Challenges

Carolyn Condo in Silver Spring is a 60 unit, U-shaped condominium on a ridge. Neighbors downhill from the condo suffered from lots of flooding because of stormwater runoff. They reached out to FOSC, the county Department of Environmental Protection, the statewide funding source, Chesapeake Bay Trust, and importantly, the Condo board, to share the nature of the problem. Together, we worked together to obtain a grant from the Chesapeake Bay Trust. We then engaged an experienced contractor who came up with a two-phase plan.

The first phase features a combination conservation landscape and a small rain garden to capture stormwater and help eliminate the flooding from one parking lot. It was completed in Fall 2019.

As you can see from the photos, the project completely transformed a weedy and compacted area into gardens with lots of perennials and shrubs that are lovely as well as very effective in capturing rain from this parking lot.

Before the project began (left) and after completion (right)

Before the project began and after completion, side view

FOSC Board member Kit Gage managed the project grant. She commented: “The condo’s roof and two large parking lots –along with a relatively small amount of grassy area — make for lots of stormwater runoff and a challenging situation…the condo board hopes to get a follow-up grant for a second and larger project to capture more of the stormwater.”

Author: Michael Wilpers, FOSC newsletter editor, September 2017