Ellicott City Staircase Wins Award For Helping Chesapeake Bay

ELLICOTT CITY, MD — The project connecting downtown Ellicott City to the Howard County courthouses up the hill has won an award, government officials announced.

The Chesapeake Stormwater Network named the Ellicott City staircase project the "Best Urban Management Practice" for treating runoff from 2 acres of impervious surfaces in a functional, aesthetically pleasing way.

"The Lot E Staircase project is a fantastic example of how taking an innovative approach to stormwater management can improve your community," the Chesapeake Stormwater Network said in a statement. Howard County used a "unique combination of practices" and ended up "creating an attractive site and a neighborhood amenity," the network reported.

Through the staircase, polluted runoff is treated through a two-tiered system of bioretention cells and dense plantings.

"While the original need was to address the safety issue of storm-damaged retaining walls, this project took the area to a new level," Howard County Executive Allan Kittleman said in a statement about the staircase.

The staircase design had the following effects, he said:

• Alleviating future flooding by rerouting stormwater
• Opening access to almost 200 courthouse parking spots
• Adding an aesthetically pleasing feature consistent with the historic downtown

Here is the project narrative from the Chesapeake Stormwater Network:

This project provided a unique solution to the urban infrastructure challenge of treating stormwater on a steep slope, while also increasing pedestrian safety in Historic Ellicott City. The project involved a two-tiered bioretention treatment train where water enters into a flume and is carried beneath the stairway into the first bioretention cell which, when full, flows over into a rock channel via a weir waterfall and into the second bioretention cell. A tree box filter next to the second bioretention cell catches water off of Lot E and an additional bioretention downhill from the flume entrance catches water not captured by the flume’s inlet. Densely planted native species uptake nutrients in the runoff while providing year round aesthetic value and habitat improvement.

“It is a great example of combining function and aesthetics to preserve Ellicott City and the Bay,” Director of Howard County's Office of Community Sustainability Jim Caldwell said in a statement.

A panel of stormwater professionals evaluated submissions from six states in the Chesapeake Bay watershed in various categories, and Ellicott City was named the best among projects where at least 75 percent of the site consisted of impervious surfaces.

Then the members of the Chesapeake Bay Network voted it the best of the best among the projects that won their respective categories.

The organization's Best Urban Management Practice in the Bay Awards program — known as the "BUBBAs" — is now in its third year. The idea is to share innovations from local jurisdictions to inspire others.

For winning the grand prize, Howard County will receive a $5,000 award. County officials said the Chesapeake Stormwater Network will also feature the Ellicott City staircase project on an upcoming webcast.

Photo courtesy of Howard County Government/Flickr.