County’s Watershed Protection, Restoration Program Awarded State Grants for Waterway Projects

From Anne Arundel County:

Anne Arundel County was recently awarded grants totaling $2,736,460 from the State of Maryland to support several capital projects designed to improve the quality of our waterways and restore the health of our rivers, creeks and streams. The State Highway Administration (SHA) and Department of Natural Resources’(DNR) grants will be utilized by the County’s Watershed Protection and Restoration Program (WPRP) to implement two stream restoration projects and allow for the retrofit of three stormwater management ponds.

"We are excited the Hogan Adminstration is helping assist us as we work to clean up the more than 530 miles of shoreline in our County," said County Executive Steve Schuh. "These investments will help make Anne Arundel County a model jurisdiction for stormwater management."

The SHA Transportation Alternatives Program ($800,000) provides the final critical piece of funding for the Cowhide Branch Stream restoration capital project. This funding will allow WPRP to move forward with awarding a construction contract so that the stream restoration and fish passage project can be installed downstream of the Annapolis Mall.

The DNR Chesapeake and Atlantic Coastal Bays Trust Fund ($800,000) contributes to three pond retrofits in the Glen Burnie (Baby Baer Ct-GB)/Linthicum (Tulip Oak Ct/Golden Oak Drive-Linthicum Heights) area. These projects will begin construction this summer and be completed before the end of the year.

The DNR Chesapeake and Atlantic Coastal Bays Trust Fund ($1,136,460) will provide funding for the Kingsberry Drive Outfall and Stream Restoration project. This project is located in the St. Margarets Farm Community in Annapolis and uses Step Pools, natural channel design and floodplain re-connection restoration methods to stabilize the stream and provide ecological uplift.

"Securing grant funding not only saves tax payer money but is an essential and efficient method for the County to get projects like these off the ground," said Erik Michelsen, WPRP administrator. "Many times, these important projects are years in the making and may not have been able to be fully funded by the county for various reasons."

The WPRP, a division of the Anne Arundel County Department of Public Works Bureau of Engineering, is responsible for implementation of the County’s stormwater restoration project strategies that meet mandated federal and state water quality requirements.