Reducing Runoff and Improving Water Quality with the Justice 40 Initiative

Date: November 6, 2024 | 2:00 PM EST/1:00 PM CST
Speakers: Amanda H. Pollack, P.E.
Credits: Pending Approval
Sponsor: Timewell Drainage Products

This webinar is produced in partnership with The Center for Watershed Protection.

The village of Jonestown in Caroline County, Maryland, has poorly draining soils and stormwater related flooding. The predominantly African-American community was established by free African Americans before the Civil War; and about 60% of its homes date back 50-100 years and many of the families have lived there for generations. Through federal funding from the Justice40 Initiative, the community is implementing stormwater runoff reduction and water quality improvement projects on private properties, the county owned community park, and on county roads. The project includes capacity building and education for community members. The presentation will include a discussion on the specific stormwater improvements including bioretention areas, grass swale, conservation landscaping, and tree planting.

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this presentation, attendees should be able to:

• Understand the historical and social context of the Jonestown community, including its significance as a predominantly African-American village established before the Civil War and the challenges posed by its aging infrastructure.
• Identify the stormwater-related issues affecting Jonestown, such as poorly draining soils and flooding, and examine how these issues impact both public and private properties within the community.
• Analyze the role of federal funding, specifically the Justice40 Initiative, in supporting stormwater runoff reduction and water quality improvement projects in historically underserved communities.
• Evaluate the specific stormwater improvement techniques being implemented in Jonestown, including bioretention areas, grass swales, conservation landscaping, and tree planting, and how these approaches contribute to flood mitigation and water quality enhancement.
• Explore community engagement strategies used in Jonestown to build capacity and educate residents on stormwater management practices and their benefits to the local environment and infrastructure.

About the Presenter

Amanda H. Pollack, P.E. is the Director of Training for the Center for Watershed Protection (CWP).  Amanda has worked at CWP since March 2022 as a Senior Water Resources Engineer.  Her projects at CWP include project management for the Conowingo Dam Watershed Implementation Plan and serving as the Technical Assistance Circuit Rider for the Envision the Choptank Collaborative.  Additionally, she is the technical lead for CWP’s annual National Watershed and Stormwater Conference.  Amanda has over 28 years of engineering experience.  Prior to joining the Center, she was in consulting engineering at George, Miles & Buhr for 16 years and municipal engineering at the City of Salisbury, Maryland for 10 years.  Ms. Pollack was the Director of the Infrastructure and Development Department for the City of Salisbury.  As the City Engineer, she oversaw the Planning, Engineering, Surveying, CAD, Stormwater Management, Construction Inspection and Building Permitting divisions of the City. She managed the City’s MS4 Stormwater program and implemented the City’s Stormwater Utility.   Ms. Pollack has experience in water/wastewater/stormwater design, project management, grant writing and administration, and construction administration.  Ms. Pollack holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from Lehigh University and is a licensed Professional Engineer in Maryland.

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