Watersheds in the Mid-Atlantic
| Watersheds Quick Finder | Mid-Atlantic A-Z Index | |
|---|---|---|
| Mid-Atlantic Healthy Waters HomeWatersheds Home | Anacostia River BasinChesapeake Bay Basin | EstuariesNon-Point Source Pollution |
A Watershed is the area that drains to a common waterway, such as a stream, lake, estuary, wetland, aquifer, or even the ocean. Our individual actions can directly affect the quality of the waters in our communities.
- Anacostia
- Chesapeake
- Delaware
- Ohio
- Susquehanna
Highlighted Watersheds of the Mid-Atlantic
The Anacostia Watershed is part of the Chesapeake Bay watershed, 85% of which resides within Maryland and 15% within the District of Columbia. Its urbanized 176 square-mile drainage area is one of the most densely populated areas in the Chesapeake.
The Anacostia Trash TMDL was developed in 2010 to restore water quality by capturing or removing more than 600 tons of trash from the Anacostia watershed each year.
The Anacostia River has been highlighted nationally as an Urban Waters community project case study in the Mid-Atlantic Region.
The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the U.S., about 200 miles long, stretching from Havre de Grace, Maryland to Norfolk, Virginia. Its watershed encompasses six states and the District of Columbia.
The historic Chesapeake Bay nutrient and sediment TMDL was established in 2010 to restore clean water in the Chesapeake Bay and the Region's streams.
The Chesapeake Bay Program 
is a unique regional partnership that has coordinated the restoration of the Chesapeake Bay and its watershed since 1983.
The Delaware River Basin is 13,539 square miles and drains parts of New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware. It rises in the Catskill Mountains and runs 330 miles to the Delaware Estuary. 15 million people rely on the Delaware River Basin for drinking, agricultural and industrial uses. The Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC) is an interstate governing body that jointly manages the water resources of the basin.
The Delaware Basin Source Water Collaborative is a basin-wide partnership to identify and explore issues impacting water resource sustainability in the basin.
The Schuylkill Watershed is part of the Delware River Basin and includes parts of 11 counties in southeastern Pennsylvania.
The Ohio River begins at the confluence of the Allegheny and the Monongahela Rivers in Pittsburgh, PA, and flows 981 miles until it meets the Mississippi River. The Ohio River basin is home to over 25 million people and includes parts of eleven states, three of which (Pennsylvania, Maryland, and West Virginia) are in the Mid-Atlantic Region.
The Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission (ORSANCO)is an interstate commission established to control and abate pollution in the basin.
The Susquehanna River basin is part of the Chesapeake Bay Basin and contributes half of the freshwater flow to the Bay. The Susquehanna itself has a 27,510 square mile drainage area from the states of New York, Pennsylvania, and Maryland.
The Susquehanna River Basin Commission (SRBC) is an interstate watershed agency that coordinates water resources efforts of the three states and the federal government.
The Mid-Atlantic Region works to prevent and reduce pollution and provide habitat protection through an interdisciplinary watershed approach and a variety of federal, state, local, and watershed partnerships. We encourage the use of green infrastructure and other innovative approaches to protect, restore, and preserve watersheds.
Green Streets, Green Jobs, Green Towns Initiative
Imagine strolling along a street shaded by trees, illuminated by solar-powered street lamps, on sidewalks lined with gardens that quickly soak up rainwater after a spring storm. Imagine a town that is training a local workforce to build these sustainable, green streets. Imagine a town where the new Triple Bottom Line - people, planet, profit - is the standard for local businesses.
The Green Streets, Green Jobs, Green Towns Partnership (G3) aims to stimulate the green jobs market and enable families to work where they live and play. Small to mid-sized communities can boost their local economies and protect water resources through the use of watershed planning, design and construction of stormwater best management practices.
The G3 Academy represents a virtual resource and a collaborative network of stewards, practitioners and sponsors. The G3 Academy offers community leaders, local stakeholders, and private and public entities easy access to technical, planning, policy, funding and job creation opportunities as it relates to the creation of green streets and green towns. The G3 Academy (PDF) (5pp, 678 KB) includes case studies (G3 Academy Honor Society), training and technical assistance (G3 Academy Studio), and resource materials (G3 Academy Library).
G3 Academy Honor Society
Many of our Mid-Atlantic towns and cities are paving the way with Green Streets! Green streets integrate stormwater management practices and other sustainable features and are an important vehicle toward creating green, sustainable communities. Mayors, town administrators, town councils, community organizations and job training programs are the catalysts for greening streets, towns and businesses.
The G3 Academy presents several case studies, including recipients of the G3 grants, a funding opportunity supported by our partners the Chesapeake Bay Trust, Maryland Department of the Environment, Maryland Department of Natural Resources and EPA Region 3, Water Protection Division.
You will need Adobe Reader to view some of the files on this page. See EPA's PDF page to learn more.
Some of these links leave EPA.gov to visit our partner sites for more information.
- Town of Bladensburg Charrette (PDF) (37pp, 23.34MB)
- G3 Academy Charrette brochure (PDF) (2pp, 913 KB)
Interested in bringing green infrastructure innovation to your town? Consider a G3 Design Competition! Check out the City of Houston’s Low Impact Development Design Competition to learn how you can develop your own competition.
Contact a member of the G3 Academy Team to join the G3 Academy Honor Society and share your story with others.
G3 Academy Studio
Interested in learning more about stormwater management best practices? The G3 Academy Studio is your source to access training, technical assistance, and information on, green streets, low impact development and green infrastructure. The G3 Academy strives to bring the most timely and relevant ideas and information to communities in order to expand the practice and network of partners.
Green Streets, Edmonston, MD podcast
Training and technical assistance
- North Carolina State University Low Impact Development Researchers Symposium
- August 13-14, 2012; Grove Park Inn, Asheville, North Carolina
- EPA Green Infrastructure
- Check back for more training announcements!
G3 Digest
The G3 Digest is a bi-weekly online newsletter filled with information on Green Streets, Green Towns and Green Jobs. Contact a G3 team member to sign up for the G3 Digest.
G3 Webcasts
- April 4, 2013 - Infill Philadelphia: Soak it Up! Revitalizing Urban Niehgborhoods with Green Stormwater Infrastructure
Archived April 4 Webcast - Feb 28, 2013 - Building Sustainabile and Resilient Communities Through Green Infrastructure and Leveraging Capital - Showcasing G3 Communities Part 1
Archived February 28 Webcast - Jan 31, 2013 - Chesapeake Bay Trust Green Streets Grant Program
Archived January 31 Webcast - Aug 7, 2012 - Alternative Financing Models For Accomplishing Green Urban Stormwater Retrofits (PDF) (2pp, 471K)
Archived August 7 Webcast - Aug 2, 2012 - Next Generation, Low Cost, High Performance Retrofit Technologies (PDF) (1pg, 297K)
Archived August 2 Webcast - Mar 20, 2012 - Low Impact Development/Green Infrastructure Design Competitions (PDF) (1pg, 486K)
Archived March 20 Webcast
Download the certificate of attendance (PDF) (1pg, 139K) - Feb 15, 2012 - Chesapeake Bay Green Streets, Green Jobs, Green Towns (G3) Academy (PDF) (1pg, 218K)
Click to download the MP4 version (MP4 file, 39M) and Transcript (PDF) (14pg, 132K)
NOTE: The MP4 file consists of both audio and video and can be viewed on portable MP3 and iPod devices. If your device is not video compatible this file can still be downloaded for just the audio.
G3 Academy Library
The G3 Academy Library provides a compendium of research and informational articles and resources for G3 policymakers, local officials, engineers, community organizations among other disciplines.
You will need Adobe Reader to view some of the files on this page. See EPA's PDF page to learn more.
Some of these links leave EPA.gov to visit our partner sites for more information.
Policy
- Fresh Coast, Green Solutions: Weaving Milwaukee’s green and grey infrastructure into a sustainable future (PDF) (28pp, 4.25MB)
- Green City, Clean Waters: The City of Philadelphia’s program for combined sewer overflow control program
- Green Infrastructure Case Studies: Municipal policies for managing stormwater with green infrastructure (PDF) (76pp, 8.25MB)
- Local Water Policy Innovation: A Road Map for Community Based Stormwater Solutions (PDF) (50 pp, 2.33 MB)
- Managing Wet Weather with Green Infrastructure Municipal Handbook: Rainwater Harvesting Policies (PDF) (16pp, 1.45MB)
- Green Infrastructure Permitting and Enforcement Factsheets Series
- American Forests Urban Forests Case Studies
Planning and Design
- EPA Green Infrastructure
- Green Streets: A conceptual guide to effective green streets design solutions (PDF) (7pp, 5.73MB)
- Effectiveness of Low Impact Development (PDF) (2pp, 1.6MB)
- Green Streets – An innovative street design approach (PDF) (5pp, 691KB)
- Green Streets Guide for Allston Brighton (PDF) (54pp, 4.92MB)
- Low Impact Development Urban Design Tools
- Managing Wet Weather with Green Infrastructure Municipal Handbook: Green Streets (PDF) (19pp, 1.79)
- Oregon State University Extension/Sea Grant Stormwater Solutions
- University of Maryland Permeable Pavement Fact Sheet for Howard County, Maryland Homeowners (PDF) (12 pp, 1.06MB)
Construction, Operation, and Maintenance
- Monitoring and Documenting the performance of stormwater best management practices (PDF) (72pp, 3.8MB)
- Villanova Urban Stormwater Partnership
- North Carolina State University Stormwater Engineering Group
Financing and Economic Benefits
- EPA Region 1 Soak Up the Rain Campaign
- Financing Stormwater Retrofits in Philadelphia and Beyond (PDF) (36pp, 438KB)
- The Value of Green Infrastructure: A guide to recognizing its economic, environmental and social benefits (PDF) (80pp, 16.03MB)
- Green Guide for Property Management-Green City, Clean Waters Green Businesses Program (PDF) (17pp, 8.39MB)
- Removing Market Barriers to Green Development: Principles and action projects to promote widespread adoption of green development practices (PDF) (59pp, 1.56MB)
- Banking on Green: A look at how green infrastructure can save municipalities money and provide economic benefits community-wide (PDF) (44pp, 990KB)
- Water Works: Rebuilding infrastructure, creating jobs, greening environment (PDF) (62pp, 16.62MB)
G3 Academy Contacts
For more information about the G3 initiative, please contact any member of the G3 Team at EPA Region 3:
|
Dominique Lueckenhoff
Susan McDowell |
|
Watershed Resources Registry
The Watershed Resources Registry is a national pilot to integrate land-use planning, regulatory, and non-regulatory decision making using the 
watershed approach. Through a partnership of state and federal agencies, a GIS based targeting tool has been developed to analyze watersheds and identify the best opportunities for the protection of high quality resources, restoration of impaired resources, resource conservation and environmental resource planning, and improvement of stormwater management. The Registry aims to enable the characterization and prioritization of natural resources based within watersheds, and assist regulators and the regulated community to make timely & cost effective decisions based on sound watershed specific data. The WRR is also intended to integrate the Clean Water Act (CWA) authorities by facilitating implementation of CWA Sections 319, 401, 402, and 404, TMDL implementation practices, and multiple state programs.
| About the Water Protection Division Where You Live | Newsroom FOIA Requests |
National Information
Green Infrastructure Projects
Where You Live
Click on the map above to view the locations of just a few green infrastructure projects in the Mid-Atlantic Region.
Have a project to add to the map? Contact Ken Hendrickson at hendrickson.kenneth@epa.gov
