Hamlin Street Retrofits Project

Restoration Branch, Department of Energy & Environment
Biohabitats, Inc.
Triangle Contracting, LLC
TCG Property Management
Casey Trees

The Hamlin Street, NE LID Installations were part of a targeted watershed approach for the Hickey Run stream. The Hickey Run watershed is an area covering about 2 square miles of northeast Washington DC and at 40% is one of the most impervious subwatersheds in the District, and the stream is very polluted by trash, bacteria, low oxygen levels, excess sediments, toxic chemicals and metals, making it harmful to humans and wildlife. Situated in Ward 5 with mostly piped streams and heavy industrial land usage, the Project Site is located in a moderately-high heat index as defined by the District’s heat sensitivity and exposure indexing assessment and is considered “more disadvantaged” from an equity and environmental justice perspective, as identified by the office of the People’s Counsel for the District of Columbia. Conveniently located adjacent to District parkland (DPR) with a significant (40’) Department of Transportation (DDOT) right-of-way, the site lent itself nicely to the incorporation of stormwater management retrofits. Due to the considerable drainage area, two bioretention facilities were ultimately installed; a long, curvilinear one that runs behind the curb line, and even larger, terraced one slightly to the west. The large CDA led to the incorporation of stormwater chambers into the design.

The Hamlin Street retrofit projects led to significant discussion and collaboration among multiple agencies; three different departments in one agency even! This collaboration ultimately led to a better product as we worked to design around sister agency concerns while still meeting the project’s original objectives. The Project is able to achieve 2,627 cubic feet of retention, or nearly 20,000 gallons! The resulting design allows for increased capture of stormwater runoff, larger capacity tree wells, alignment with future sidewalk, all while being creative, attractive and cost effective.