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SMART Tool
Stormwater Management and Restoration Tracker (SMART)
Stormwater remains one of the most difficult and expensive sources of Chesapeake Bay pollution to control. While a great deal of attention and resources have been committed to wide scale adoption of Agricultural Best Management Practices (BMPs), many counties and towns receive a large volume of stormwater from smaller scale residential and private properties. Actions on these smaller properties, such as the installation of rain barrels, rain gardens, green roofs, or changing of lawn fertilization practices on an individual property, when considered in aggregate, can show significant nutrient and sediment reductions.
Every Practice Counts!
The SMART tool tracks 11 different practices that property owners can implement on their properties.
These practices include:
| Rain Barrels and Cisterns | Conversion from turf to conservation landscaping | Downspout Disconnection |
| Certified Baywise Landscaping | Conversion from impervious to turf/conservation landscaping | Pledge not to Fertilize |
| Rain Gardens | Tree Planting | Fertilizer Management |
| Permeable Pavers | Stormwater Educational Events |
Becoming SMART Certified
Step 1: Reporting your Stormwater Practice
- Report your stormwater practice into the SMART tool by clicking the "Use the SMART Tool" button.
- Once a practice is entered into the tool, it will appear as a red raindrop icon in your location.
- Your local University of Maryland Sea Grant Extension Watershed Restoration Specialist will receive notification of your practice.
Step 2: Certifying your Stormwater Practice
- A SMART Team member will contact you to arrange a site visit to SMART Certify your stormwater practice.
- SMART Certified stormwater practices will appear as green raindrop icons in the SMART tool.
NOTE: SMART Certification is currently being piloted in Howard, St. Mary's and Talbot Counties. Individuals outside of those counties are welcomed to enter their stormwater BMPs into the SMART tool but they will not be SMART certified until after June 2016.
SMART Test
Count My Practice!
Click on the link below to have your practice counted towards efforts to clean up your local waterways!
This link will direct your web browser outside the Univeristy of Maryland Extension website. The site is managed by University of Maryland Sea Grant Extension.
Disclaimer: The SMART tool is a non-regulatory product of the University of Maryland Extension and Maryland Sea Grant Program. Practices reported in the SMART tool are voluntary and the Program is not associated with any specific county or municipal reimbursement or credit program.
