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