Prince George’s County launches stormwater grant program to boost waterways

Prince George’s County opened a stormwater grant program that puts local groups, homeowners and businesses in line for money to fight polluted runoff, flooding and stream damage, with the largest pilot track offering up to $1 million for work in the Henson Creek watershed.

The Prince George’s County Stormwater Stewardship Grant Program is meant to fund on-the-ground restoration, community engagement and green infrastructure that improves water quality and helps residents protect rivers and streams. Eligible applicants include nonprofit organizations, municipalities, faith-based organizations, educational institutions, community associations, civic groups, homeowners and businesses, as long as the work is done in Prince George’s County. The City of Bowie is excluded because it runs its own stormwater program.

The funding is split into several tracks, including water quality implementation, tree canopy outreach and preservation, community awareness and engagement, litter reduction and beautification, and additional project support. Earlier cycles also included an illegal dumping data analysis and forensics track, plus the Henson Creek co-payment pilot that could reach $1 million. That mix makes the program relevant not only to environmental nonprofits, but also to neighborhood associations, schools and congregations that want visible fixes on their blocks.

The county has been building toward this approach for years. In 2012, the Prince George’s County Council established the Stormwater Management Retrofit Program to give property owners incentives to install stormwater practices on private property, including rebates for rain barrel installation. More recently, Council Resolution CR-07-2020 created the Prince George’s Climate Action Commission to develop the county’s Climate Action Plan and climate stabilization goals.

The grant program’s own record shows it has grown into a major county tool rather than a one-off effort. A county fact sheet says 208 applications have come in since the program began, 112 grants have been awarded and $8.7 million has been distributed, with 96 applications declined. An earlier snapshot put the totals at 139 applications, 71 grants and $5.8 million. Chesapeake Bay Trust materials for fiscal 2025 described the partnership as entering its ninth year, while later materials said it was moving into its eleventh year. A Trust presentation for fiscal 2025 said 146 awarded projects totaled $13.1 million.

County climate implementation materials also say the grant program is being used for a Community Stormwater Management Blitz pilot designed to address local flooding through focused outreach, community engagement and installation of small- to medium-scale green infrastructure. The county’s Clean Water Program says the larger effort is aimed at reducing polluted stormwater runoff and providing cleaner, healthier waterways for residents and communities across Prince George’s County. The new round is another test of whether targeted grants can keep pace with stormwater problems that residents can see every time heavy rain hits their streets.