Storm water planters like this will be installed on Lackwanna and Rhode Island avenue

At tonight’s Council worksession, the Council will discuss its plan to install storm water planters on two city streets.

In March, the City awarded a contract to the Low-Income Development Center (LIDC) for consulting services to put $18,500 toward design of stormwater management improvements on Lackawanna Street and $16,500 toward design of improvements on Rhode Island Ave.

A stormwater planter is a specialized planter installed in the sidewalk area that is designed to manage street and sidewalk runoff. It is normally rectangular, with four concrete sides providing structure and curbs for the planter.

Five stormwater planters and two porous pavement sections are designed for the Lackawanna Street section between Narragansett Parkway and 53rd Avenue. Due to the extensive underlay of utility lines in the street Right Of Way, additional LID features were not possible. The stormwater planters will on average be 25 feet by 5 feet and occupy locations along the landscape strip next to the Street.

Curb cuts will allow runoff to enter the street planters which will be filled with bioretention soils and a gravel layer beneath. Suitable plants will be selected that provide water quality enhancements and are aesthetically pleasing. The porous pavement is designed on 53 rd Avenue and will be two strips 36 feet by 8 feet along the parking lanes.

In addition to the LID feature, the planting of street trees within the sidewalks of Lackawanna Street is recommended. These improvements together will enhance the stormwater runoff water quality on Lackawanna Street and ultimately water quality in receiving waters. The structural LID features will result in almost 40 % ofthe water quality storm (1.0 inch storm) being treated which translates to approximately one third of a million gallons annually treated from the Lackawanna Street drainage area.

The included design drawings are completed at the 30% design level. Future work that would be required to further the design are-
• Detailed survey information of site area including identification of underground utilities
• Soil tests (soil boring) to be conducted to check if stormwater planters could be constructed without under drains and obtain depths to seasonal high ground water
• Review current 30% design and revise as required based on new survey information
• Consult with Prince George’s County DPW&T to obtain pre-approval for proposed LID retrofits
• Develop 60% design drawings based on the new information