Low Impact Development Training Module 9: Maintenance Requirements Dennis Chestnut

Sponsors 2 District Department of Transportation U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration The Low Impact Development Center, Inc. University of the District of Columbia Funding for this project was provided through a grant from the Federal Highway Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation

Contributors 3 The Low Impact Development Center, Inc. John Shorb Landscaping, Inc. Logo Groundwork Anacostia River, D.C.

Copyright 4 Unless otherwise noted, Low Impact Development Traning, funded by DDOT & DDOE, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommerical- ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. Content provided by cited entities remains the property of those entities and may not be used without their explicit permission.

Overview District maintenance requirements Maryland maintenance requirements Virginia maintenance requirements This module will cover District of Columbia maintenance requirements in detail Maryland and Virginia requirements will be covered in a more abbreviated form 5

Expected Outcomes Know how a site’s maintenance requirements are established and where to find them Know how maintenance requirements are enforced, and how to handle violations 6

District Maintenance Requirements The maintenance requirements for BMPs in the District are established in DDOE’s Stormwater Management Guidebook (the Guidebook) 7

Maintenance Responsibility A maintenance agreement and maintenance schedule must be submitted as part of the Stormwater Management Plan (SWMP) The property owner is responsible for maintaining the BMP in good condition, and in accordance with the approved SWMP. 8

Declaration of Covenants A Declaration of Covenants specifically states the property owner’s maintenance responsibilities This is recorded with the owner’s deed Provides for regular inspection by DDOE Binds current and future owners to the maintenance schedule contained in the approved SWMP 9

Maintenance Inspections DDOE inspects all BMPs twice per year for the first five years of operation, and once every three years thereafter A standardized maintenance inspection form is used, and a report is prepared and maintained by DDOE 10

Corrective Actions If violations are found, DDOE will send written notice to the property owner Generally, maintenance work and repairs must be done within days If maintenance is not performed, DDOE will perform the necessary work and the property owner will be responsible for reimbursing DDOE for the cost of the work plus applicable penalties 11

Waste Removal When waste material is removed from a bioretention cell, it must be disposed of in compliance with federal and District laws. 12

DDOT Projects in the right-of-way are under DDOT’s control, and should follow DDOT’s bioretention maintenance schedule 13

Maryland Maintenance Requirements The Maryland Department of the Environment sets out basic standards and maintenance requirements for bioretention cells Additional requirements are imposed at the county level 14

Montgomery County, MD Landscape contractors performing maintenance on LID facilities must be certified by the county Department of Environmental Protection Training courses are offered once a year ctmpl.asp?url=/Content/dep/water/stormw atercontractor.asphttp://www6.montgomerycountymd.gov/de ctmpl.asp?url=/Content/dep/water/stormw atercontractor.asp 15

Virginia Maintenance Requirements The State of Virginia requires that a maintenance agreement be executed between the property owner and the local stormwater program The VA DCR Bioretention Design Specification contains recommended maintenance and inspection schedules for bioretention htmlhttp://vwrrc.vt.edu/swc/NonProprietaryBMPs. html 16

Regular Bioretention Maintenance All facilities located within the right-of-way must follow DDOT’s recommended bioretention maintenance schedule 17

General Maintenance Remove trash and animal waste 18 Method By hand Frequency Quarterly and as needed Time of year Year-round Photo Courtesy of DDOT

Drainage System Maintenance Inspect curb cuts and velocity dissipators for debris, sediment, and blockages Clean debris, sediment, and blockages from curb cuts and velocity dissipators Inspect velocity dissipators, weirs, and check dams for stone placement and weirs and check dams for debris accumulations Clean debris, sediment, and blockages from weirs and check dams 19

Drainage System Maintenance (cont’d) Replace stone at velocity dissipators, weirs, and check dams Inspect for standing water in excess of 2 days Inspect cleanout pipes and underdrains Flush out debris from underdrain to clear pipe when filled with debris and when standing water exceeds 2 days 20

Inspect curb cuts and velocity dissipators for debris, sediment, and blockages 21 Method Visual Frequency Quarterly Time of year Year-round Photo Courtesy of the Low Impact Development Center, Inc.

Clean debris, sediment, and blockages from curb cuts and velocity dissipators 22 Method By hand Frequency Quarterly and as needed Time of year Year-round Photo Courtesy of Emily Ayers

Inspect velocity dissipators, weirs, and check dams for stone placement and weirs and check dams for debris accumulation 23 Method Visual Frequency Twice a year Time of year Year-round Photo Courtesy of DDOT

Clean debris, sediment, and blockages from velocity dissipators, weirs, and check dams 24 Method By hand Frequency Twice a year and as needed Time of year Year-round Photo Courtesy of the Low Impact Development Center, Inc.

Replace stone at velocity dissipators, weirs, and check dams 25 Method By hand per plan Frequency As needed Time of year November-March Photo Courtesy of the Low Impact Development Center, Inc.

Inspect for standing water in excess of 2 days 26 Method Visual Frequency Twice a year Time of year Year round Photo Courtesy of the Low Impact Development Center, Inc.

Inspect cleanout pipes and underdrains 27 Method Visual Frequency Twice a year Time of year Year-round

Flush out debris from underdrain to clear pipe when filled with debris and when standing water exceeds 2 days 28 Method High pressure water hose or drain snake Frequency As needed Time of year Year-round

Plant Maintenance Remove weeds and non-desirable plants Water plants regularly during the first three years Water plants during drought conditions (no rain for two weeks) after three years in ground Remove stakes and wires Inspect plants for disease and pest problems 29

Plant Maintenance (cont’d) Treat plants for disease and pest problems if needed using the least toxic method possible Remove plant debris and prune plants as appropriate for each plant species Remove dead and diseased plants as needed Replace dead plants with same species and cultivar during spring or fall planting season. 30

Remove weeds and non- desirable plants 31 Method By hand Frequency Three times a year Time of year March-April, June- July, Sept.-Oct. Photo Courtesy of Emily Ayers

Water plants regularly during the first three years 32 Method By hand Frequency When rainfall is less than one inch per week Time of year May-October

Water plants during drought conditions (no rain for two weeks) after three years in ground 33 Method By hand Frequency Weekly during drought Time of year May-October

Remove stakes and wires 34 Method By hand Frequency Once Time of year Six months after planting Photo Courtesy of DDOT

Inspect plants for disease and pest problems 35 Method Visual Frequency Three times a year Time of year March-April, June- July, Sept.-Oct.

Treat plants for disease and pest problems if needed using least toxic method possible 36 Method By hand Frequency As needed Time of year At appropriate time for disease or pest treatment

Remove plant debris and prune plants as appropriate for each plant species 37 Method By hand Frequency Twice a year and as needed Time of year February-April, September-November

Remove dead and diseased plants as needed 38 Method By hand Frequency As needed Time of year At appropriate time for disease or pest treatment

Replace dead plants with same species and cultivar during spring or fall planting season. If entire group of plants has declined or died, replace with more suitable species and cultivar. 39 Method According to planting specifications Frequency As needed Time of year March 15 – April 30 or October 15 – Nov. 30

Soil and Mulch Maintenance Inspect mulch and soil Repair erosion and bare areas with new mulch Much with 2 inches shredded organic mulch Remove mulch layer before applying a new layer 40

Inspect mulch and soil 41 Method Visual Frequency Quarterly Time of year Year-round Photo Courtesy of Seattle Public Utilities

Repair erosion and bare areas with new mulch 42 Method By hand Frequency As needed Time of year Year-round Photo Courtesy of the Low Impact Development Center, Inc.

Mulch with 2 inches of shredded organic mulch 43 Method By hand Frequency Once a year Time of year February – April Photo Courtesy of the Low Impact Development Center, Inc.

Remove mulch layer before applying a new layer 44 Method By hand Frequency Every three years Time of year February – April

Review Maintenance recommendations and requirements vary depending on who has jurisdiction over a given site Bioretention in the ROW should follow DDOT’s recommended maintenance schedule Other bioretention installations in the District should follow DDOE’s maintenance schedule 45

Resources DDOT Bioretention Maintenance Schedule 2013 District of Columbia Stormwater Management Guidebook ( 46