FOSC Receives Grant for Condo Stormwater Project

Carolyn Condo Grant Friends of Sligo Creek has received a $20,000 grant to develop a stormwater management plan for the Carolyn Condominium Complex on Sligo Avenue. The project will also result in a special installation to demonstrate stormwater management, with interpretive signage to give residents an introduction to its design and benefits. The grant is one of eight that environmental organizations in the county received from the Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and the Chesapeake Bay Trust (CBT) to protect local water ways by improving the management of stormwater runoff.

“The board of directors of the condo and neighbors downhill are very excited to see what can be done,” says FOSC board member Kit Gage, who will oversee the project. “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. If this project is successful, the condo board hopes to get a follow-up grant for a second and larger project to capture more of the stormwater.”

Another grant from CBT and DEP will support a stormwater project at Adventist Community Services just down the road on Sligo Avenue and also in the Sligo watershed. Anacostia Riverkeeper will remove impervious surfaces and construct a rain garden with native tree plantings. “We are thrilled to support and engage these hard-working local groups who share this mission . . . of improving water quality while contributing to the health and sustainability of our communities,” said DEP Director Adam Ortiz in a press release. “These projects, undertaken by neighborhood groups,volunteers and others, are so important for both water quality and education,” said CBT Executive Director Jana Davis. “The work shows residents how a single project can both beautify their community and solve environmental issues, a win-win.”