Innovative Stream Restoration

About the Program

Category: County Resiliency (Best in Category)

Year: 2013

An innovative water quality project that included a stream restoration and pond retrofits on Government Center (GC) property was a public/private partnership that provided habitat improvements and public education opportunities in an urban setting. This multifaceted endeavor included a technique that was new to stream restoration projects.The GC is located in the Difficult Run (Chesapeake Bay) watershed. The stream needed restoration due to erosion, loss of vegetation and habitat, reduced water quality and poorly functioning detention ponds. The stream intersects and runs parallel to a public footpath that surrounds the property and is used frequently by GC neighbors, employees and visitors.Thus, the work began “in our own backyard” to demonstrate the effective use of innovative technology for future stream restoration projects, and to take advantage of the environmental public education opportunities of the project. The most innovative part of the project was the use of dredged material that was taken from an existing pond and pumped into custom made geotextile bags that were placed between stone grade-control structures. The bags were placed in the bottom of the stream to raise the stream bed elevation and reconnect the stream to the floodplain. Other county departments and surrounding homeowners were involved as partners.