B reewood is located in the southeastern portion of the County

near Wheaton. It flows into Sligo Creek which is a tributary of

the Anacostia River. The tributary drains 63 acres of highly

developed urban area. A comprehensive biological and water

quality study shows that past development had degraded the

tributary. Over the years, the uncontrolled storm flows have

resulted in erosion, pollution and poor water quality and wildlife

habitat.

In 2009, Montgomery County, in partnership with the community,

launched a multi-year restoration initiative to implement a series

of projects to reverse the stream damage and improve water quality.

The $4.7 million multi-year initiative was completed in 2018. The

County will continue to monitor the condition of the stream and

the performance of the projects implemented.

Breewood Watershed Restoration A community collaborative effort to bring life back to an urban stream

Map of Restoration Projects

in the Breewood Watershed

Northwood High School

Additional stormwater management

practices were installed by Montgomery

County Public Schools (MCPS) on the school

property in 2012 to manage runoff from the

school before it reaches the stream.

[Impervious Surface Treated: 9.28 Acres]

Breewood Stream Restoration 1,200 linear feet of stream channel was

reconstructed to reduce erosion and improve

habitat for aquatic life. Additionally, trees,

shrubs and meadow grasses were planted

along the tributary to further improve

environmental conditions.

Northwood Presbyterian Church The bioretention garden located at the

end of church parking lot captures and

filters the runoff from the parking lot.

[Impervious Surface Treated: 0.50 Acres]

Breewood Manor

Road-side bioretention and raingardens were

installed along the end of Tenbrook Drive and

Breewood Road to filter and slow runoff before

reaching the stream.

[Impervious Surface Treated: 1.51 Acres]

[Pavement Removed: 0.06 Acres—2,572 SqFt]

Breewood Road Bioretention

The bioretention garden located at the end of

Breewood Road caputres stormwater coming

from the neighborhood and filters the runoff

before it reaches the stream.

[Impervious Surface Treated: 2.07 Acres]

[Pavement Removed: 0.05 Acres—2,131 SqFt]

Arcola Avenue

Roadside bioretention gardens along

Arcola Avenue filter and slow runoff

before it flows into Sligo Creek. One of the

gardens drains to Breewood Tributary.

[Impervious Surface Treated: 0.22 Acres]

University Towers

New stormwater management practices,

including rain gardens and pervious pavements

were installed at the condominium to manage

stormwater runoff from the parking lot.

[Impervious Surface Treated: 3.70 Acres]

Map of

Breewood within

the Sligo Creek

watershed

Breewood

Arcola Avenue

Green Streets

Breewood Manor

Green Streets

Breewood Tributary

Stream Restoration

Breewood Bioretention

University Towers &

Northwood Presbyterian Church

2011

2014

2015

2017

2018

Project Completion

Maryland’s Chesapeake & Atlantic

Coastal Bays Trust Fund grant

provided $3.2 million to construct

the projects in Breewood.

Did you know?

42%

Impervious

Surfaces

63 Acre

Drainage

Area

2%

Impervious

Surface

Treatment in

2009

65%

Impervious

Surface

Treatment in

2018

! Pavement Removal

Stormwater Management

Arcola Avenue Green Streets

Breewood Manor Green Streets

Northwood Presbyterian Church

University Towers

RainScapes!

Stream Restoration

!Bioretention Garden/Tree Box/Porous Pavement

Breewood Watershed Restoration A community collaborative effort to bring life back to an urban stream

Stream

Restoration

Bioretention Gardens:

How does it work?

Bioretention gardens are built with layers of

filtering materials (e.g. sand) to absorb and

filter rain water. Water typically drains after

24hrs.

Pictured: Bioretention garden at Northwood

Presbyterian Church

Bioretention Gardens:

Seasonality

Bioretention gardens are planted with

various salt tolerant flowers and grasses to

help absorb rain water. These flowers bloom

during different seasons giving a different

look over the year.

Pictured: Breewood Manor Green Streets Bioretention

garden at the end of Tenbrook Drive.

February 2013 June 2015

Fall Winter Spring

24 Hours

after the

storm

Bioretention garden one day later (5/24/2019) Bioretention garden after rain storm (5/23/2019)

The stream was severely eroded and incised from urban runoff. The restoration work stabilized the

stream banks, raised the stream bed, and new trees were planted along the stream. This helped the

stream reconnect with the floodplain allowing water to infiltrate and reducing the speed of the

stream flow. The graph below shows the depth of the stream channel before and after restoration.

March 2015

Tree Box at University Towers

Treebox Filter • Porous Pavement • Bioretention Garden

Porous Pavement at University Towers Bioretention Garden at University Towers

AREA 1, XSEC1Width/Depth

Ratio Entrenchment Ratio

Floodprone

Width (ft)

Pre-restoration

(2011-2013) Average 11.6 1.2 6.4

Post-restoration

(2015+) Average 55.5 1.8 36.5