Healthy Waters Stream Restoration Project Opens At Quiet Waters Park

Press release from Arundel Rivers Federation:

Oct. 12, 2022

Matt Johnston, Executive Director of Arundel Rivers Federation, joined Jennifer Harrington, Chief Operating Officer for Luminis Health Anne Arundel Medical Center, county officials and funders to unveil a recently completed 1,000-ft stream restoration project at Quiet Waters Park in Annapolis.

The 1,000-ft section of Caffrey Run had long been an eroded channel that sent sediment and nutrient pollution into the nearby South River and the Chesapeake Bay. The restoration of the channel will keep an estimated 170 tons of sediment out of the river every year. Decreases in sediment pollution result in clearer waters that can more easily host underwater grasses and oysters.

“This channel was eight feet deep in some places. It had long ago stopped functioning as a healthy stream, and instead had become a source of sediment pollution every time there was a heavy rain,” said Johnston. “Arundel Rivers Federation was thrilled to have the opportunity to restore this stream, stop the sediment pollution, and bring back a healthy ecosystem for park goers to experience for decades to come.”

Arundel Rivers Federation worked with park officials, contractors from Meadville Land Services, Inc. and funders from Anne Arundel County’s Bureau of Watershed Protection and Restoration, the Chesapeake Bay Trust and Maryland Department of Natural Resources to replace the deeply eroded channel with a shallow valley that encourages water to slow down and infiltrate the ground as it makes its way downhill.

“Part of what makes Quiet Waters Park unique is that it provides visitors an opportunity to surround themselves with the natural beauty of our local, forested stream valleys,” said Jessica Leys, Director of Anne Arundel County’s Department of Recreation and Parks. “This restoration project gives residents yet another reason to visit Quiet Waters Park to enjoy this restored natural landscape.”

Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman said, “This project is a perfect example of public, private, and nonprofit partnerships working to build resilient, healthy communities. Here we have a nonprofit focused on restoring local watersheds, who partnered with funders from across the region and volunteers from our local medical center to deliver a stream restoration project in a public park for all of us to enjoy.”

Over 1,500 native trees and shrubs will be planted in the newly restored valley to add habitat for native wildlife. On Saturday, volunteers from Luminis Health Anne Arundel County Medical Center assisted Arundel Rivers Federation with planting efforts.

“Our mission at Luminis Health is to advance the health of the people and communities we serve,” said Harrington. “What better way to improve the health of our communities, than to improve the health of our waters through restoration projects in public spaces like this one?”

Arundel Rivers Federation is a nonprofit organization headquartered in Edgewater, Maryland that works to protect and restore the South, West and Rhode Rivers in Anne Arundel County and advocate for clean water everywhere. Over the past five years, the organization has deployed over $6 M of publicly funded restoration projects across nine sites in public parks throughout the county.

Visitors to Quiet Waters Park can view the new stream restoration project from a bridge on a walking trail just outside the park’s Blue Heron Center.

This press release was produced by Arundel Rivers Federation. The views expressed here are the author's own.