Award Winning Projects
We are proud of the awards our programs and projects have won over the years!
- National Association of Counties Achievement Awards
Started in 1970, NACo’s annual Achievement Awards program is designed to recognize county government innovations. Each nominee is judged on its own merits and not against other applications received.2022
Full Delivery of Water Quality Improvements "Turnkey" Program - Best in Category - County Resiliency
BWPR implemented its Full Delivery of Water Quality Improvements (“Turnkey”) Program in 2017 to expedite the process of restoring our local waterways and driving down costs through public-private partnerships. This program, which funds design-build-maintain contracts to private firms that result in the construction of cost-effective stormwater Best Management Practices, has has created a resilient and cost-effective pipeline of restoration projects that ensure the County’s local tax dollars are being invested towards a sustainable future.
2021
Eisenhower Golf Course Stream and Wetland Restoration - Achievement Award
The Eisenhower Golf Course & Stream/Wetland Restoration project was an innovative collaboration between the Anne Arundel County Department of Recreation & Parks and the Department of Public Works Bureau of Watershed Protection & Restoration (BWPR). This project transformed a worn-out golf course into a sustainable and cutting-edge facility accessible to all Anne Arundel County residents.
- National Municipal Stormwater and Green Infrastructure Awards
The National Municipal Stormwater and Green Infrastructure Awards program, developed and introduced in 2015 by the Water Environment Federation through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), was established to recognize high-performing regulated MS4s. Award winners meet and exceed regulatory requirements in innovative ways that are effective and cost-efficient.2020
Phase I Program Management - Winner
Delivering excellent stormwater management services while minimizing financial risk is one of Anne Arundel County Department of Public Works’ top priorities. In 2016, the department pioneered an innovative procurement mechanism that facilitates the third-party construction of stormwater infrastructure with little risk to the county, deferring all payment until projects are completed and inspected. In 2019, it became the first jurisdiction in Maryland to use the state’s new nutrient trading program to achieve MS4 permit compliance. Watch our video here.
Phase I Program Management - Gold Recognition
Phase I Innovation - Silver Recognition
2019
Phase I Program Management - Winner
Phase I Program Management - Gold Recognition
Phase I Innovation - Silver Recognition
2018
Phase I Program Management - Gold Recognition
Phase I Innovation - Silver Recognition
- Best Urban BMP in the Bay Awards (BUBBAs)
The Chesapeake Stormwater Network's Best Urban BMP in the Bay Awards (BUBBAs) recognize the best urban BMPs that have been installed in the Chesapeake Bay watershed.2021
Best Education and Outreach Project - Third Place - Anne Arundel County DPW and Anne Arundel County Watershed Stewards Academy
The powerful partnership between the Anne Arundel County DPW and the Watershed Stewards Academy stands out for the scope of its impact. In addition to a strong engagement through new media and social media, the partnership with WSA allows DPW to provide community-based technical assistance that is not otherwise available through County staff.Innovative Stormwater Permit Implementation - Third Place - Anne Arundel County DPW
Anne Arundel County’s DPW stands out for the breadth and scope of their permit implementation efforts, as well as their innovative funding strategies. The program has led the way in engaging the private sector in the implementation of the County’s MS4 permit.Best Stream Restoration - Honorable Mention - Cat Branch Stream and Wetland Restoration
The restoration of Cat Branch included 3.5 acres of non-tidal wetland restoration, 1,492 linear feet of stream restoration, retrofit of a dated stormwater management dry pond, two stormwater outfall stabilizations, a step pool storm conveyance (SPSC) system, and a stormwater wetland at two other degraded stormwater outfalls.2019
Best Stream Restoration - Honorable Mention - Dividing Creek Stream Restoration
The restoration of Dividing Creek demonstrates an integrated watershed approach, installed in conjunction with two BMP retrofits treating upland impervious areas.Best Habitat Creation - Third Place - Tri-State Marine Wetland - Anne Arundel County Watershed Restoration Grant Recipient
The Tri-State Marine Wetland project converted an untreated gravel lot into a 60,625 square foot wetland complex consisting of a grass swale, two bioswales, and a stormwater management wet pond ringed by native wetland trees, shrubs, and plants.Best Stream Restoration - Third Place - Bacon Ridge Stream Restoration - Anne Arundel County Watershed Restoration Grant Recipient
2017
Best Stream Restoration - First Place - North Cypress Branch Stream and Wetland Restoration
This project used an integrated watershed restoration approach, creating or enhancing 7.4 acres of non-tidal wetland through the approximately 3,000 linear feet of stream restoration in a highly urbanized watershed.Best Stream Restoration - Second Place - Annapolis Harbour Center Stream and Wetland Restoration - Anne Arundel County Watershed Restoration Grant Recipient
This stream and wetland restoration project restored a 1,500-foot reach while also providing greatly improved aquatic and upland habitat function.2015
Best Combination of BMPs in a Series - First Place - Central Utility Operations Stormwater Management and Stream and Wetland Restoration Project
This comprehensive and innovative project eliminated stormwater pipes and drains – the first of its kind in the area – and utilized a series of upland practices including bioretention, cobble-bedded parking lot, conservation buffers, swales, Step Pool Storm Conveyance (SPSC), native plantings as well as a Regenerative Stream Channel (RSC) to restore eroded Branch Creek and reconnect it back to its historic floodplain.
- Other Regional/National Awards
2018
Maryland Quality Initiative (MdQI) Green/Sustainability/Environmental Award - Rutland Road Fish Passage
The project involved replacing the culverts with a pre-stressed concrete slab bridge to increase the hydraulic opening and reduce roadway flooding. The project also regraded the stream bed to provide upstream passage for migrating fish, essentially opening up six miles of spawning habitat on the North River and its tributaries.
