Bay Hero

Overview: Small Scale Stormwater Best Management Practices (BMPs) for Property Owners.

Inspiration: Empower residents with knowledge of small-scale activities they can undertake that will enable individuals to make a difference in improving the water quality within the Chesapeake Bay Watershed.

Application: Web-based design that calculates the pounds of pollution that will not reach the Chesapeake Bay as a result of the actions the individuals commit to doing.

User selects BMPs and is told how many pounds of pollution this will save over the next 20 years.

Available BMPs to choose from: Lawn Maintenance - Reduce fertilize use/frequency Septic system Upgrade - Nitrogen Reducing Unit (NRU) Pet Waste - Scoop the Poop Rainwater Harvesting - Install rain barrel(s)/cisterns Rain Garden Installation - stormwater abatement Grow Oysters - natural water filtration Plant Tree(s) - natural forest buffer Reduce vehicle emissions - hybrid or biodiesel Reduce electricity use

Optional: Referrals to local private/public organizations conducting larger-scale projects for individuals to participate in.

At the current stage of development, individuals receive an email that tells them exactly how many pounds of nitrogen and phosphorus pollution they are savings. References and formulas utilized for calculations are contained in Bay Hero - Calculating the Pollution Savings.pdf.

Includes Learn More links that provide additional information on the selected BMP and local resources.

Portability and Scalability: App is easily scalable to mobile application.