Living Classroom Created At Fallston Schools As Part Of Stream Restoration Project

FALLSTON, MD — Students at Fallston middle and high schools now will have access to a living classroom after crews finished restoring more than 5,000 feet of stream flowing along the school campus.

The project returned Elbow Brook to its natural flow, helping to improve water quality, and stabilized the stream banks to protect the surrounding environment. Crews also installed 2,500 live tree stakes along the stream banks and planted more than 1,400 trees and shrubs to establish and enhance the vital riparian buffer along the stream.

"By restoring this stream and creating a living classroom, we’re providing opportunities for students to learn about conservation right in their own backyard,” Harford County Executive Bob Cassilly said.

In addition to restoring the stream, the project included two stormwater management facilities designed to manage runoff from the schools’ parking lots. These upgrades will help reduce sediment and nutrient flow into Elbow Brook, protecting the Chesapeake Bay and enhancing local aquatic habitats, officials said.

Funding support for this project was provided by Maryland DNR Chesapeake and Atlantic Coastal Bays Trust Fund.