Centreville’s Bloomfield Farm, once home to a working farm, now includes Whitemarsh Park, an active recreation facility housing many attractions for this Eastern Shore community in Maryland. Surrounding the original 19th century homestead, Whitemarsh Park includes fields for soccer, lacrosse and baseball, a driving range and a fishing pond, among other points of interest.

Located on nearly 300 acres of pristine farmland, Whitemarsh Park is home to forest and meadow unique to Maryland’s Eastern Shore. When considering parking facilities for the new park, Queen Anne’s County officials wanted to take the delicate balance of the environment into account through every phase of planning to ensure Whitemarsh Park could be enjoyed for generations to come.

The Board of Commissioners was resolute in preserving the surrounding environment and educating the public about the importance and benefits of sustainable development. After much consideration and study, pervious concrete was chosen as the material to construct the site’s first of three parking areas.

Parking lots constructed with pervious concrete provide a filtration system that helps prevent oil, grease, and other contaminants from entering surface water. Additionally, the porous nature of pervious concrete allows water to drain through and recharge aquifers, helping to replenish groundwater supplies. Using this technology also helps prevent harmful erosion and unnecessary deposits of sediment into rivers and streams. Construction with pervious concrete is recognized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as a Best Management Practice (BMP) for stormwater management.

“Traditional stormwater management practices control the effects of excessive runoff such as flooding, erosion and rapid transmission of pollutants. Pervious concrete is unique in that it addresses runoff at the source by infiltrating rainfall directly into the developed area, similar to a pre-developed condition,” said project engineer Lee Edgar.

A great deal of planning, preparation and education went into the development of the Whitemarsh Park parking lots. Queen Anne’s County Department of Public Works (DPW) engineers conducted field investigations to be certain the conditions of the site would be appropriate for the use of pervious concrete and considered several parameters and specifications necessary to achieve a working design for the lots. Installation of the concrete was contracted to a National Ready Mix Concrete Association (NRMCA) certified pervious concrete installer.

In addition to careful planning and research, the DPW, the Maryland Ready Mix Concrete Promotion Council and Chaney Enterprises hosted a pilot project to gain Pervious Concrete Certification and participate in an installation demonstration. The certification workshop was the first NRMCA installer certification testing held in the state of Maryland and more than 30 contractors attended.

“The Chesapeake Bay and her tributaries are an invaluable resource on a national scale, while her protection remains here at the local level.  Public outreach is a key component and we’re delighted with the interest and enthusiasm the project has received,” said County Commissioner Carol Fordonski.

Conceptualized with three pillars of sustainability in mind; economic, environmental and social, the Whitemarsh Park lots were constructed with great care and responsibility. Pervious concrete’s environmental benefits help offset costs associated with construction and maintenance, requiring fewer resources be devoted towards stormwater management. Environmental and socially responsible development helps to preserve the surrounding rivers and streams, which are major tributaries to the Chesapeake Bay, the United States’ largest estuary.

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