Protecting and enhancing the natural environment is an important goal for the City of Rockville. The City's Environmental Management Division seeks to understand environmental concerns facing the City and develop strategies consistent with the City's Master Plan and Environmental Guidelines to protect and enhance our environmental resources.
The Environmental Management Division implements the City's National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit for the prevention of pollution to local streams, prepares and presents educational material on air and water quality, stormwater pollution prevention, high performance green building and smart growth, and reviews development proposals for compliance with environmental regulations.
To contact the Environmental Management Division, please call 240-314-8870, or email environment@rockvillemd.gov.
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Many of the documents below are in Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF). Click here to download Adobe Acrobat Reader if you do not already have it installed on your computer.
Are you interested in staying up-to-date with sustainability initiatives taken by the City, and with learning of environmental and sustainability activities in the area? If so, sign up for our new electronic mailing list to receive periodic notices from the Environmental Management Division! To join, send an email to join-sustainability@rocknet.org. You can cancel your subscription at any time.
The purpose of the Strategy for a Sustainable Rockville is to present a comprehensive strategy that will, over the next three to five years and beyond, make Rockville more sustainable and environmentally-sensitive. While this strategy primarily targets city activities and actions, we intend to promote and encourage similar actions by individual businesses and residents. Together we can make a huge difference that will assure that Rockville residents enjoy a high quality of life well into the future.
The Adopt-A-Stream Program allows local groups (civic associations, scout troops, church and synagogue groups, school groups, local businesses, neighbors, families, etc.) to get directly involved in improving local water quality by adopting one or more stream segments within Rockville. The Adopting Group agrees to hold two stream clean-up events per year (usually one in the spring and one in the fall). The City will provide trash bags, gloves, and other materials and will collect all of the debris from the cleanup once you're finished. The Adopting Group can also choose to get involved with water quality monitoring, illicit discharge monitoring, trash monitoring and other activities along their stream segment! For more information go to the Adopt-A-Stream Program page.
A new Water Quality Protection Ordinance (WQPO) was adopted by the Mayor & Council at their July 16, 2007 Mayor & Council meeting. The WQPO will protect surface and ground waters within the City, prolong the useful life of the City's storm drains and sanitary sewers, safeguard City employees working in and around storm drains and sanitary sewers, and ensure that the City remains in compliance with its Clean Water Act and NPDES requirements. To learn more about the new regulations, please see the Water Quality Protection Ordinance page.
What is a watershed? A watershed is usually defined as the land area that drains to a particular stream, river or lake. The City of Rockville is located within the headwaters of two watersheds: Cabin John Creek and Watts Branch. Rockville also contains several major tributaries to a third watershed, Rock Creek, and contributes a negligible drainage area to a fourth watershed, Muddy Branch. For more information, go to Rockville's Watersheds homepage.
On April 11, 2006, the City of Rockville's Commission on the Environment held a "Stormwater Summit" to educate residents, civic associations and local environmental groups on the state of stormwater management practices today, and to discuss Rockville's stormwater management program. The first half of the summit was an educational presentation given by the Center for Watershed Protection titled "Stormwater Management 101: Past, Present and Future". That presentation is available for download below.
The Environmental Advisories website is updated on an as-needed basis to inform Rockville residents and businesses of any environmental events such as gas leaks, sewage spills, flooding, etc. that have recently occured within the City.
Adopted in July 1999, the Environmental Guidelines provide guidance during the development review process to address environmental concerns, ensure a comprehensive program for watershed and other natural resource protection, and establish a consistent level of environmental protection through adherence to performance standards.
A new Comprehensive Master Plan for the City was adopted by the Mayor and Council on November 12, 2002. The Master Plan is an important document for the City because it articulates a broad vision for Rockville's future and directs all development activities. Chapter 5 of the Master Plan is titled "The Environment - Sensitive Areas and Critical Issues", and describes policies and recommendations for the integration of environmental protection in all public and private development and land use decisions.
The City of Rockville was recertified in November 2005 as a Gold level Chesapeake Bay Partner, the highest level of distinction in the Chesapeake Bay Partner Community Awards Program. Rockville received the award for the City’s demonstrated commitment to restoring and protecting the Bay, its rivers and its streams.
Launched in 1997, the Bay Partner Communities program recognizes towns and cities that implement Bay-friendly measures. The Local Government Advisory Committee of the Chesapeake Bay Program selects communities to be Bay Partners based on the jurisdiction's adherence to a set of benchmarks that aim to protect and restore the Bay watershed. These four benchmarks are improving water quality, protecting and restoring living resources and habitat, promoting sound land use and engaging the community.
Communities receive varying levels of recognition—Gold, Silver and Bronze— based on the community's population and the percentage of benchmarks met in the four theme areas. Communities meeting the criteria are recognized for their efforts and presented roadside signs denoting the jurisdiction as a Chesapeake Bay Partner Community. The District of Columbia and local governments within the Chesapeake Bay watershed in Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania, New York, Delaware and West Virginia are eligible to apply for the awards.
To learn how Rockville meets the various environmental benchmarks, read through the City's application, below.
The National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) was created by the Clean Water Act (CWA) to control water pollution from agriculture, commercial and industrial facilities, municipalities, wastewater treatment plants and construction sites. The City of Rockville is designated as a Phase II Small Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) community, meaning that we have a population of less than 100,000 people (small) and have a municipal separate storm sewer system (MS4 - as opposed to a combined sewer system, where both sanitary waste and stormwater flow to a treatment plant through the same pipes). NPDES requirements for municipalities followed a phased approach, with medium and large comunities starting first during Phase I, and small communities such as Rockville starting a few years later during Phase II. To learn more about the City of Rockville's requirements as a Phase II Small MS4 community, go to Rockville's NPDES Program homepage.
Keeping ice and snow off of your sidewalks and driveway is important for safety, but there are environmental consequences to using salt as a deicer, releasing chloride and many other impurities into the surrounding area. These chemicals can make their way into our local streams and waterways harming aquatic life, or they can remain locked in your soils, threatening the plants that grow in your yard. Here are few tips to help keep your driveway and sidewalks ice-free while minimizing the environmental impact:
- Buy Early and Check Labels
Buy your de-icing product before the big storm, so you don’t end up staring at empty shelves in the stores. Check the label before you buy - although slightly more expensive, calcium chloride (CaCl2) requires less salt, works at lower temperatures and does not contain cyanide, unlike sodium chloride (NaCl, rock salt) which does. Urea is sometimes promoted as “lawn-friendly”, as excess urea will act as a fertilizer. However, the application rate for urea is far greater than your lawn would require, and most of the excess urea will only end up “’fertilizing” the stream. - Avoid Kitty Litter and Ashes
While these products are environmentally friendly, they are only marginally effective at adding traction, and do not melt ice. If you need traction, mixing in a small amount of sand and using even less salt is a better option. - Shovel Early, Shovel Often
Removing fresh snow before it has a chance to harden into ice is the best method to keep your pavement clear. Deicers work best when there is only a thin layer of snow or ice that needs to be melted, so shovel first, break up any ice matches you can, and then add the salt. - Apply Salt Sparingly
The recommended application rate for sodium chloride or rock salt is one handful per square yard treated. Calcium chloride requires even less salt – one handful for every three square yards treated (about the area of a twin bed). Using more salt than this will not speed up the melting process.
For more information on salt, snow and ice in the region, check out the following resources:
With the cost of energy rising, this winter is a great time to think about improving the energy efficiency of your home. Here are some tips and resources to get you started:
- Plug those Leaks!
Air infiltration may contribute to as much as 30% of your heating cost. The most common locations of leaks are around doors and windows, but they may also be found from chimneys, recessed lighting, attic entrances, vents and fans, even electrical outlets. Install weatherstripping, or caulk holes or other leaks to stop these costly leaks and improve comfort. For tips on controlling air leaks in your home, you can check out: www.urbanoptions.org/resources/guides/weatherizationGuide/weatherizationGuideAir.php - Keep the Heat In
Insulation not only saves energy, it also reduces noise and improves fire resistance and safety. Attics require significant amounts of insulation; walls and floors over unheated areas and ducts should also be insulated. Be sure to use the right type of insulation for the application, as well as one appropriate for our area. - Optimize Your Heating Equipment
Maintain your furnace by cleaning or replacing filters monthly during operating season. Use a programmable thermostat to only heat the house when you need it: set the temp at 55° F at night, or while you are away from the house for more than four hours; have it set to return to your preferred temperature before you wake up or return home. Optimize your water heater by putting an insulating jacket around the heater, and insulating hot water pipes. Additionally, many people have the temperature of their water heaters set too high: turning it down to 120° F will not only save money – it will also prevent accidental scalding.
In addition, check out these other great energy resources:
The Commission on the Environment recommends programs and policies to the Mayor & Council to promote a sustainable community through initiatives relating to natural resource management and development, energy efficiency, watershed stewardship and protection, pollution prevention and public education. To learn more about the Commission, go to the Commission on the Environment's website.
The City of Rockville's Recreation & Parks Department has long promoted policies of acceptance, tolerance and coexistence with wildlife in our community. Rockville's policies promote an understanding that wildlife is part of the common wealth. All citizens benefit from common ownership, while at the same time assuming a shared responsibility for wildlife's well-being. Where impacts or conflicts between wildlife and humans occur, the resolution is based on the significance of the impacts. Below is a link to the City's Beaver Control Policy. With the recent addition of coyotes in our suburban environment, the City is working on a Coyote Management Policy, which will be posted when complete. A link to more information on coyotes in Maryland is provided. Lastly, additional information on mosquitoes in Rockville can be found at the link below.
