Watershed 263

Watershed 263 is a 930-acre storm drain area in west and southwest Baltimore City that encompasses part of 12 urban neighborhoods including Sandtown-Winchester, Harlem Park, Franklin Square, Union Square, New Southwest Mount Clare, Boyd-Booth, Carrollton Ridge, Carroll Park, Poppleton, Hollins Market, Washington Village and the Carroll-Camden Business Area.  Surface water, carrying trash and pollutants, which collects on streets, alleys and vacant lots in Watershed 263 flows into the Baltimore Harbor after traveling through a 43-mile storm drain system that converges into one outfall pipe near the mouth of Gwynns Falls, in the Middle Branch of the Patapsco River. 

The Watershed 263 Project focuses on revitalizing urban communities by concentrating on strategies that improve both water quality and quality of life using greening or urban forestry projects. The watershed restoration plan includes: planting trees; cleaning and greening vacant lots; reducing litter; cleaning streets and alleys; creating community gardens, improving city parks and greening schoolyards where asphalt has been removed; increasing recycling; and supporting community stewardship and involvement. Small, low-impact, watershed restoration projects, like tree plantings improve environmental quality, create healthier communities, support economic development and offer educational and recreational opportunities.

A Watershed 263 Community Stakeholder Council recently formed with 20 residents as members representing the twelve watershed neighborhoods. The Council’s role is to sustain community involvement and stewardship in the project, review proposals for water quality and quality of life improvements, monitor its implementation using measurable indicators and generally work to support the project. The Council meets periodically and is supported by the Parks & People Foundation. Contact Guy Hager to learn more.

Watershed 263 partners include the Baltimore Ecosystem Study, Baltimore City Department of Public Works, Parks & People Foundation, and U.S. Forest Service. The Chesapeake Bay Trust, Keith Campbell Foundation, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, and Rauch Foundation provide funding for the Watershed 263 project.

For more information about Watershed 263, please refer to the project outline, accomplishments summary, backyard study, case study, greening framework, community organizing, community goals, watershed maps, visual glossary, history, and the Watershed 263 project website.

Watershed 263 is highlighted in the Tales from Urban Forest audio program sponsored by the USFS and America Forests. The program was produced by Sound Print and is available in both a 4-minute and 30-minute format with photos. Both formats require Real Player.

As part of the public environmental education campaign in Watershed 263, the 2nd and 6th grade students at Gilmor Edison Elementary School (in Sandtown-Winchester) participated in a schoolyard habitat planting and storm drain stenciling project. To raise awareness of stormwater runoff, students leaned about plants, gardens, and watersheds, then wrote and performed rap songs on how trash affects water quality and animals, including people, in Watershed 263 and the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. See highlights of these projects in the Apple QuickTime format “Trash Kills Crabs” video produced by vastu.media LLC. For more information regarding the video, environmental education programs and the Watershed Ecology Center located at Harlem Park Middle School, please contact Rachel Doebber.