There has been an increase in stormwater-related flooding in Chevy Chase View over the last years.  Causes of the problem include:

• an increase in the frequency and intensity of storms;
• a significant increase in the amount of impermeable surface throughout CCV, which contributes to surface runoff; and
• hard stormwater infrastructure (constructed and maintained by Montgomery County and the State of Maryland) that is old and undersized for current conditions.

As a result, stormwater can rise rapidly, inundating roads, damaging homes and property, and posing a health and safety risk. A September 10, 2020, cloudburst event produced over 4 inches of rain in roughly 3 hours in the Town, and residents in lower-lying areas within the Town reported water levels on and/or flowing through their properties of 6, 8, and 24 inches. The stormwater leaving the Town also contributes to water quantity and quality issues in the watershed as receiving waters are overwhelmed and flooding has become a more frequent occurrence.

To address these issues, the Town of Chevy Chase View completed a Stormwater Management and Climate Resilience Study funded in part by a grant from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.  Options for improving stormwater management are being assessed holistically throughout the Town, from improvements that the Town can implement in the public right-of-way to opportunities available to Town residents to manage stormwater on their properties.  Recommendations include options for mitigating excessive stormwater through the implementation of green, or nature-based, infrastructure as well as improvements to hard stormwater infrastructure. The report identifies needed updates to Town building regulations to improve stormwater management.

Stormwater management options identified as priorities by the Council with resident input will be incorporated into the Town’s 10-year plan for upgrading public right-of-way infrastructure.

In addition, to encourage residents to access funding for green infrastructure improvements through Montgomery County’s RainScapes program, the Council approved funds to provide additional financial rebates for residents’ projects that are approved by RainScapes.  Scroll down for more information.

Rethink Your Yard!

RainScapes provides significant technical and financial assistance to homeowners for the implementation of rain gardens, conservation landscapes, permeable pavement, green roofs, and other small-scale stormwater improvements. Rebates of up to $7,500 are awarded on a sliding scale, based on the type and size of the project, and CCV provides an additional rebate to encourage the use of the program to mitigate stormwater issues in the Town.

The Stormwater Management Committee was established by the Town Council in October 2020 in order to: help identify and assess short and long-term problems associated with stormwater runoff in the Town, help discern the scope and nature of the problems, analyze the efficacy, costs, and benefits of possible solutions, and submit a report and recommendation to the Council. The Committee’s Final Report was presented to residents on July 27, 2021.  Please scroll down to view the recorded presentation. The Committee was dissolved by the Council in July of 2021.

In response to a severe storm event on September 10, 2020, and resident concerns, the Town Council appointed a Stormwater Management Committee(SWMC) to help identify and assess short- and long-term problems associated with stormwater runoff in the Town, help discern the scope and nature of the problems, analyze the efficacy, costs, and benefits of possible solutions, and submit a report and recommendations to the Town Council.

Over the next months, the Town Council will evaluate all of the Stormwater Management Committee recommendations and gather residents’ input to determine which recommendations merit future action. At its June 23, 2021, monthly meeting, the Town Council voted to pursue a Chesapeake and Coastal Service Grant from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources to study stormwater drainage issues in the Town. The pursuit of this DNR grant aligns with the recommendations in the SWMC’s final report and the Town Council took early action in order to meet the grant application deadline.

The Town Council encourages residents to review the SWMC’s final report and become more familiar with the stormwater management issues facing the Town and the recommendations of the SWMC.