University of Maryland Report
EDMONSTON, Md.—The Northeast Branch of the Anacostia River runs through the heart of Edmonston, Md. In somewhat of a give-and-take relationship, runoff from Edmonston’s streets and parking lots carries many pollutants into the river; when it rains, the Anacostia “gives back” in the way of flash floods caused by overwhelming amounts of stormwater coming from upstream communities.
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Kristen Markham, project leader, at the end of the trench where the outflow pipe from the bioretention drains into the existing stormwater drainage. (Photo by Kristine Caiafa) |
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Recently, 24 students from the University of Maryland partnered with local agencies to develop a natural system that could alleviate the flooding problems and decrease the amounts of pollutants flowing into the Anacostia River Watershed by building a bioretention system at Tanglewood Park.
“Renewable energy sources like solar and wind provide time-varying, somewhat unpredictable energy supply, which must be captured and stored as electrical energy until demanded,” Gary Rubloff, director of the University of Maryland’s NanoCenter, said in a statement. “Conventional devices to store and deliver electrical energy – batteries and capacitors – cannot achieve the needed combination of high energy density, high power, and fast recharge that are essential for our energy future.”