SILVER SPRING, MD – A state stormwater management expert will join the Montgomery County Planning Board on Thursday, February 19 to discuss new strategies to reduce stormwater runoff and water pollution.
Ken Pensyl, administrator of the Sediment, Stormwater, and Dam Safety Program at the Maryland Department of the Environment, will discuss stormwater management trends that foster a new way of thinking about how to improve water quality. Pensyl is the second of a series of speakers who will address the board this year as part of the Growing Smarter Speaker Series.
With presentations to be scheduled roughly once a month, the series provides an opportunity for the board, planners and the general public to hear from experts on thought-provoking sustainable growth topics as the board tackles the next iteration of the county Growth Policy.
Pensyl will describe how developers and landowners can handle stormwater to create better results for the environment and the people who live and work there. Among the strategies Pensyl will outline are creating well-thought-out site designs, and considering the design and placement of buildings, parking areas, roads and other best management practices. Moreover, developers may consider vegetative rooftops and rain gardens – all strategies that can be combined to reduce and treat stormwater runoff at the source.
Pensyl also will provide an update on the state’s draft Environment Site Design regulations that will require such strategies.
In his role as a stormwater administrator, Pensyl oversees a variety of programs including those that focus on slowing, infiltrating, and treating stormwater discharge to help protect surface waters from pollutants and recharge groundwater. Among his duties is managing the state program that issues municipal permits for the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System.
Continuing education credits are pending for AICP members.
Learn more about the speaker series.
Who:
Montgomery County Planning Board
What:
Ken Pensyl
Growing Smarter Speaker Series
When:
7:30 p.m. Thursday, February 19
Where:
Park and Planning Headquarters auditorium
8787 Georgia Ave., Silver Spring
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