In 2012, Maryland's Greensboro launched 2 projects to curb stormwater flooding. 9 years later, its firehouse gained permeable pavers and step pools, helping reduce pollutants reaching the river

For years, flooding and stormwater runoff challenged the town of Greensboro on Maryland's Eastern Shore. The community began changing the way it handled stormwater in 2012, starting with projects designed to reduce flooding and keep pollutants from reaching the Choptank River. Nine years later, the town brought the same approach to its volunteer fire company property, using permeable pavers, runoff controls and step conveyance to manage water. The results have gone beyond the original projects, inspiring similar stormwater improvements in other nearby communities.

Why did Greensboro change its stormwater practices?

According to a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) success story published through its Grants Reporting and Tracking System (GRTS), Greensboro's stormwater projects have helped reduce runoff and sedimentation while inspiring similar projects in nearby communities.

The Town of Greensboro in Caroline County, Maryland, sits along the Choptank River, where stormwater and flooding had become persistent concerns.


In 2012, the town began a series of projects aimed at redirecting excessive stormwater and reducing flood risk. One major change involved moving the county fairgrounds out of the river floodplain. The former fairgrounds area was later converted into a public park designed to absorb overflow from the river.

The town also constructed a new fire hall outside the town near the relocated fairgrounds. The project incorporated best management practices designed to reduce impervious surfaces and manage stormwater.

A second phase that same year focused on stormwater controls around the town hall, library and Department of Public Works garage. Together, these improvements helped reduce flooding around community buildings and limited runoff carrying potential contaminants, including sediment, toward the Choptank River.

The work was part of a broader effort to address water-quality problems in the Upper Choptank River watershed.

The non-tidal Upper Choptank River watershed had been listed for biological impairment, based on assessments showing poor aquatic life health. The Maryland Department of the Environment developed a sediment Total Maximum Daily Load, or TMDL, which was finalized in August 2019.

The watershed had an estimated baseline sediment load of 8,323 tons per year within Maryland.

Agriculture is a major land use in the watershed, and parallel projects have also been implemented by the Maryland Department of Agriculture to address agricultural sources. Maryland's nonpoint source program has funded multiple projects under the watershed-based plan.

How did the firehouse project reduce runoff?

The town returned to its stormwater challenge in 2020, targeting the Volunteer Fire Company facility. The fire station was frequently inundated with stormwater, sometimes interfering with firefighting operations.

Engineering surveys showed that water was not coming only from the site's own impervious surfaces. Surrounding properties were also directing runoff toward the fire station.

The earlier projects had shown the town that different stormwater practices could work, helping build support for a more comprehensive design at the firehouse.

The improvements included redirecting runoff from the building's roof and replacing asphalt in the parking lot with permeable pavers. These surfaces allow water to move into the ground rather than sending all of the runoff toward the river.

Space was limited beside the parking area, so runoff was directed into a catchment tank for treatment. A steep slope leading toward the river was converted into step conveyance, allowing water to be captured and percolate through the area.

Invasive plants were also replaced with native species.

The 2021 project was calculated to reduce runoff volume by 68% over a 10-year period.

The changes also made a noticeable difference to the people using the site. The fire station returned to normal operations, while the improvements opened a view toward the river. People began detouring past the step conveyance to get a glimpse of the water.

A neighboring private property owner even made similar changes at their own expense.

How did Greensboro's success spread?

The stormwater work did more than address flooding at individual properties. It helped change how the community viewed stormwater management.

At first, contractors involved in the early projects were not convinced that the proposed technology would work. The practices were new to the town, even though they had become established best management practices elsewhere.

The results helped change that attitude.

The projects reduced stormwater runoff and helped limit sediment and potential contaminants reaching the Choptank River. They also provided practical benefits for local residents by reducing flooding around important community facilities.

Each stormwater best management practice contributes to the broader effort to improve the Choptank River, one of the significant watersheds on Maryland's Eastern Shore of the Chesapeake Bay.

County officials recognized that implementing the watershed-based plan would take decades. Because the plan depends on many stormwater and pollution-control measures, community interest and participation remain important.

Leslie Grunden and staff at Caroline County helped connect communities and encourage additional water-quality improvements. Their approach has been described around the goal of addressing “three issues with each dollar.”

That effort has helped produce new projects beyond Greensboro.

Which communities are adopting similar projects?

Three projects have been approved in nearby communities following the interest generated by Greensboro's work.

Camp Mardela, approved in 2022, is a year-round youth and family campground near Denton on a tributary of the Choptank River. The property has experienced flash flooding and severe erosion. Planned improvements include a rain garden, bioswales, bioretention and shoreline stabilization. Construction is expected to be completed in fall 2026.

Pealiquor, approved in 2024, is a residential neighborhood near Denton that has experienced runoff and sedimentation in a pond near the river. Planned improvements include bioswales, a larger culvert, a stormwater wetland and pond restoration. Construction is scheduled for spring 2026.

Goldsboro Town Hall, approved in 2025, has also experienced flooding from a nearby creek, with water reaching the building's back door. The project will transform the space into a community center while adding parking-lot improvements, curbs, bioretention areas, dry swales and conservation landscaping. Design is expected to be completed in 2026, with construction estimated for 2027.

For Greensboro, the stormwater work began as an effort to deal with flooding and protect local facilities. Its effects have since reached beyond the town itself, with neighbouring communities showing interest in similar practices to reduce runoff, erosion and sedimentation while improving the Choptank River watershed.

FAQs

What changed in Greensboro?
The town adopted new stormwater controls to reduce flooding and runoff.

Did the projects inspire others?
Yes. Three nearby projects followed Greensboro's example.