SU Students help manage storm water runoff at Blind Industries and Services of Maryland location

SALISBURY, MD –Blind Industries and Services of Maryland (BISM) in partnership with the City of Salisbury and Salisbury University is announcing the completion of Salisbury University’s Presidential Citizens Capstone project focusing on transforming an impervious surface into green space to mitigate urban stormwater runoff and beautify an area in the City of Salisbury.

The project replaced what once was impermeable concrete with several layers of soil, plants, and local trees to help standing water after rain or storms naturally drain into the watershed, where before it would collect and even flood parts of the nearby road.

The 16,000 square foot parcel of land was already showing its effectiveness Tuesday, as remnant effects from Tropical Storm Ophelia proved no match for the drainage system installed parallel to Old Ocean City road.

To generate the greatest civic impact through Salisbury University’s bioremediation project, it was important that they found a non-profit doing important work in the community, which at the same time also was impacted by flooding and urban runoff, thus BISM was selected.  BISM is a nonprofit whose mission is to educate, train, and employ blind individuals.

“After a big rainstorm, this whole parking lot would have been completely flooded. And now we’re seeing less pooling than there used to be. So there’s already been a change even after just what we’ve done,” said SU Student Bryce Machelek, one of the 3 students behind the bioremediation project.

Machelek says the project was funded by a 10,000 grant courtesy of the Lower Shore Landturst and Chesapeake Foundation.