In an effort to clean up U.S. water sources, federal standards mandate upgrades to stormwater infrastructure that prevents runoff pollution. To meet compliance standards, the highly-developed Washington, D.C. suburb of Prince George’s County, Maryland county must convert close to 5 percent of the county’s total area, or 15,000 acres in total, of watertight surfaces into surfaces that reduce polluted runoff and absorbs storm water.
In search of a cost-effective solution, Prince George’s County launched a revolutionary private-public partnership to retrofit the impermeable land using “green infrastructure” that allows for the treatment or absorption of rainwater. The Clean Water Partnership is the first ever private-public collaboration to focus on stormwater management, as it grants a singular private entity the responsibility to design, build, co-finance and maintain all infrastructure developed for the project. This model will translate into 40% savings in total costs, a faster project timeline, and a more efficient development process.
