Introducing the 2024 MACo Celebratory Blog Series: Showcasing the Remarkable Achievements of Maryland’s Award-Winning Counties!
Join us on this exciting journey as we embark on a special blog series dedicated to honoring the exceptional accomplishments of the counties that triumphed in the National Association of Counties (NACo) 2024 Achievement Awards. Each week, we will shine a well-deserved spotlight on a few remarkable counties, taking a deeper dive into their accomplishments, innovative initiatives, and the profound impact they have had on their communities.
County Resiliency: Infrastructure, Energy, and Sustainability
Anne Arundel County – Furnace Creek Stream Restoration Project
The Anne Arundel County Bureau of Watershed Protection & Restoration received an award of $1.7 million in 2018 for the
restoration of Furnace Creek in Glen Burnie (Patapsco Tidal Watershed), a Trust Fund High Priority waterway. Construction began in 2019 and was finished in April of 2020. The restoration of Furnace Creek removed/buried ~2,000 LF of V-shaped concrete channel in the stream’s headwaters, halted erosion of the severely degraded downstream reach, and reconnected 4,500 LF of stream to its floodplain to improve habitat and pollutant removal. Stone structures coupled with plantings and woody debris were used to further stabilize the banks and protect the stream channel from future erosion. The prevalence of woody debris at the site also made the project more cost effective by avoiding the import of costly stone and other fill material. The County did not have Standard Specifications for use of on-site woody debris prior to the installation of this project but has since used Furnace Creek as a reference to develop these methods for future restoration efforts. In addition to the innovative use of woody debris, the Furnace Creek Stream Restoration features biochar placed throughout the surface of the floodplain to uplift organic content and minimize costs for nutrient enrichment (and maximize plant survivability) on-site.
Howard County received nine awards in this category.
Commercial Meter Replacement
The Howard County, Maryland Bureau of Utilities maintains approximately 80,000 water billing accounts
with approximately 4500 commercial meter accounts that were approaching the end of their service life of 20 to 30 years. Commercial meters account for most of the water consumption. This effort is to improve water efficiency, reduce water loss, gain revenue, and to provide accurate readings for water audits and for billing customers.
Howard County Climate Forward Dashboard
Howard County, MD published the groundbreaking Howard County Climate Forward: Climate Action and Resiliency Plan (“Climate Forward”) in June 2023. Climate Forward includes a comprehensive set of science-based strategies and
Howard County Climate Forward Subcabinet and Workgroups
Howard County launched its Climate Forward Subcabinet and eight related work groups in August 2023 following
County Executive Calvin Ball’s announcement of our groundbreaking Howard County Climate Forward: Climate Action and Resiliency Plan. The Climate Action Subcabinet consists of leaders representing 23 Departments and Offices across Howard County Government who meet quarterly to ensure that climate action, equity, collaboration, and transparency is prioritized as the plan is implemented. The Climate Action Subcabinet guides the efforts undertaken by eight work groups consisting of interdepartmental County staff to collaborate on topics of Energy, Transportation, Waste, Nature Based Climate Solutions, Emergency Preparedness, Water, Infrastructure Resiliency, and Ecosystem Services. This project brings together over 70 stakeholders from across the Howard County Government to collaborate on the implementation of the Climate Forward plan.
Howard County Purchased Conservation Easement Pilot Program
The Howard County Purchased Conservation Easement Pilot Program advances natural resource conservation
and stewardship in Howard County through a partnership between Howard County government, the Howard County Conservancy and local nonprofit organizations. The program creates a land preservation alternative for nonprofit organizations with environmentally sensitive properties that do not qualify for tax benefits from donated easements. The program was created in 2022 with an initial budget of $2 million. In 2023 the program secured its first preservation easement on property owned by the nonprofit Holy Trinity Russian Orthodox Church. The $1.8 million purchase permanently preserves a 62-acre property that includes 45 acres of forest with 13 acres of forest interior habitat and a segment of the Rockburn Branch, a tributary of the Patapsco River. The property is adjacent to Patapsco Valley State Park and two parcels protected by Maryland Environmental Trust Easements, adding to a larger area of protected habitat. Additionally, the church allows public access through their property on a trail system that connects to the park. Following the success of the program’s first year, the County provided $500,000 to continue the pilot program for a second year. In 2024 the program secured a second easement on an 8-acre nonprofit property that contains just over four acres of forest and segments of two streams.
Implementation of County-Wide Food Waste Collection Program and Landfill Waste Diversion
Based on our own data, food waste in Howard County represents 30 percent of the total residential waste stream collected at
the curb. Nationally, the number is only slightly better at 24 percent. For the most part, food waste is disposed of in our landfills, taking up valuable space, creating green house gases, and requiring additional infrastructure to manage the deleterious effects of its inclusion with other materials in the landfill mass. In 2013, as one component of a larger effort to reduce food waste in landfills and draw attention to this growing problem taxing our natural resources, Howard County constructed a pilot-scale composting facility at our Alpha Ridge Landfill. Simultaneously, a curbside food scrap collections program was rolled out to approximately 1750 households within a community to participate in the pilot. Our feedstock is a proportional blend of food scraps collected at the curb in the pilot community, horse manure from our agricultural community, and yard trim also received from the overall county to produce a soil amendment that adds nutrients, improves soil structure, and improves moisture retention. The facility processed approximately 6,000 tons of feedstock in that first year. The food scrap component was approximately 210 tons. As of late 2023, we have completed construction of our last building in Phase II. The program has grown to 20,000 participating households out of a potential 48,000 total households and 7 county schools. The compost facility processed approximately 10,000 tons of material last year with an estimated food scrap component of approximately 2,400 tons. It is offered to more than half of the 86,000 households service by county curbside service with plans to reach the entire county service area in the next coming years. The program intends to reach out to more schools and other county institutional facilities like libraries, senior centers and community college. Not only does the facility generate annual cost savings to the county by more than $150,000 by diverting the material to a landfill, but it also creates value by reducing greenhouse gases, lessens the need for landfill space, and keeps materials local. The process generates a beneficial soil amendment that reduces the need for chemical fertilizers, lessons erosion and improves water retention in soils. Additionally, the program supports the County’s “Live Green” initiatives through reuse and conservation both as a goal and an outcome. The residential collection program also provides an ample education and outreach effort in the schools and larger community.
Increasing Community Resiliency through Community Stormwater Partnership Grant
Most nonprofits in Howard County have larger properties that provides more space and opportunities to treat stormwater
runoff. With limited funding and the need to pay required Watershed Protection Fees to the County, many nonprofits have a harder time accessing resources to manage stormwater. In 2013, Howard County created the Nonprofit Watershed Protection Partnership where nonprofits could enter into an agreement with the County stating that they would agree to implement stormwater treatment practices. If a nonprofit entered the Partnership, they were eligible to receive up to 100% credit on their Watershed Protection Fee. However, only a handful of nonprofits implemented projects over the years. Similarly, Homeowner Associations (HOAs) also have a lot of space for stormwater treatment practices but their organizational status limits their opportunities to fund these practices. They face financial barriers despite not being charged an annual Watershed Protection Fee. In efforts to reduce barriers and increase County-wide water quality practices, Howard County provided a grant opportunity for nonprofits and HOAs to install best management practices. In 2022, the Howard County Office of Community Sustainability (OCS) kicked off the first year of the Nonprofit/HOA Community Stormwater Partnership grant program. Nonprofits and HOAs were eligible to receive up to $50,000 to implement stormwater best management practices, educational campaigns, native plantings, and other stormwater treatment practices.
Native Landscaping Retrofit for Habitat, Stormwater Treatment, and Education
Howard County strives to lead by example and educate the public through our own actions. Therefore, as we ask the
community to consider adjusting their landscapes to utilize native plants and remove invasive species, the County aims to do the same at our own facilities. Landscaping with native plants will increase habitat, improve soil health, and reduce stormwater runoff. In 2022 Howard County embarked on a native landscape retrofit pilot at the George Howard Government Complex through a partnership between the Office of Community Sustainability (OCS) and the Department of Recreation and Parks (DRP). This pilot aims to remove invasive and exotic species in the existing landscaped grounds and replace with native plants selected for their ability to treat stormwater runoff and provide habitat to pollinators and other species. The project brought together several County departments and included a planting day with County Council members and staff in spring of 2023. Additional invasive removal and native plantings continued in Fall 2023. Howard County plans to continue the retrofits with additional landscape bed replacements in 2024 as part of a native landscape Master Plan for the complex.
Street Trees in Underserved Howard County Communities
Howard County’s Office of Community Sustainability (OCS) and Department of Public Works – Bureau of Highways
(Highways) collaborated to implement a native street tree planting project in underserved neighborhoods. 300 native trees are in the process of being planted in Columbia and North Laurel, which contributes to Maryland’s 5-million Trees by 2031 goal and the advancement of Howard County’s 2023 Climate Forward: Climate Action and Resiliency Plan.
Trees for Bees Giveaway: Enhancing Pollinator Habitat in Howard County
Howard County’s Trees for Bees program champions the pivotal role native trees and shrubs play in supporting pollinators,
especially during the critical Spring season by giving away free trees and shrubs to County residents and non-profits. The giveaway offers a diversity of species that provide vital resources like pollen, nectar, food, and shelter for native bees, butterflies, and other wildlife. Not only does this initiative help strengthen biodiversity, it also enriches the visual appeal of outdoor spaces with the inherent beauty of native plants. Beyond aesthetics and wildlife benefits, native trees and shrubs also sequester carbon in the soil, mitigating climate change impacts, while also effectively slowing stormwater runoff and reducing erosion. A unique aspect of the program is the inclusion of shrubs in addition to trees. Unlike traditional tree giveaways that often focus solely on larger tree species, the inclusion of shrubs in our program diversifies options and accommodates participants with smaller yards or urban settings. This innovative approach addresses a gap in existing initiatives, empowering all community members to contribute to pollinator conservation regardless of property size. By fostering awareness and action, our program cultivates thriving habitats that sustain healthy ecosystems and promote biodiversity in Howard County.
Montgomery County – MD’s Single-Family Residential Food Scraps Recycling Pilot Program
In late 2021, Montgomery County DEP began Phase I of its single-family residential curbside food scraps recycling and composting pilot program. The goal was to recruit up to 1,700 volunteer single-family households in two
neighborhoods to test and evaluate the feasibility of large-scale curbside collection and recycling of food scraps. Data, feedback, and experience acquired are being utilized to inform planning for the permanent County-wide program. Each household receives everything they need to participate, including educational and instructional materials. The pilot tests and determines the effectiveness and appropriateness of equipment (i.e., curbside carts, in-kitchen bins, compostable liners) to shape and develop the future County-wide program for all 220,000 single-family residences. Throughout this new, carefully considered initiative, DEP collects data on weekly cart set out (participation) rates, the average pounds per week of food scraps generated by households, and the overall tonnage collected on a weekly and monthly basis. Phase II of the pilot program began in March 2023 with the addition of a third Pilot Area with a goal of recruiting up to an additional 850 households in this new Area. This pilot program will lead to implementing the most effective and efficient County- wide curbside food scraps recycling program possible.
Together, let’s explore the remarkable stories behind these award-winning counties, and draw inspiration from their passion, creativity, and commitment to making a positive difference. View all 2024 NACo Achievement Award winners through their interactive and searchable map.
