The Chesapeake Bay Trust, the Anne Arundel County Watershed Protection and Restoration Program, and the City of Annapolis announce $1,355,769 in funding for environmental projects in Anne Arundel County that focus on restoration and protection.
Seven projects to be implemented across Annapolis and Anne Arundel County were awarded the grants. The projects were designed to improve water quality and treatment, reduce stormwater and sediment runoff, and implement resilient living shorelines.
“Chesapeake Bay Trust steps in each year with funding for the most innovative, effective, and community-driven watershed protection projects in our county,” Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman said. “Reading this year’s project descriptions restores my faith that we will, in fact, restore our Chesapeake Bay to its former health.”
The purpose of the Anne Arundel County Watershed Restoration Grant Program is to reduce pollutants through the implementation of watershed restoration practices. Projects in this program accomplish on-the-ground restoration that treat rainwater runoff from impervious surfaces at a cost-effective price and/or demonstrate the accomplishment of another metric that aids the County in meeting local water quality and runoff reduction improvement goals.
“Annapolis is excited to seek out funding partners to help achieve our environmental goals,” said Annapolis Mayor Gavin Buckley. “Often residents don’t like the inconvenience of these projects, but they always love the outcomes. I thank the Chesapeake Bay Trust and Anne Arundel County for their assistance and I look forward to more future collaborations.”
To be considered for funding, projects had to be planned to occur in Anne Arundel County, including the City of Annapolis, and applicants were encouraged to engage at least one partner that represents a stakeholder group based in the county.
“We’re incredibly fortunate, in Anne Arundel County, to continue to partner with non-governmental organizations who operate with a shared vision for the restoration of our local waterways,” said Erik Michelsen, Deputy Director of the County’s Bureau of Watershed Protection and Restoration. “These groups are trusted in the community and able to execute large-scale restoration work in a timely and cost-effective way that enhances the quality of life in the County.”
For the first time, applicants within the city limits of Annapolis and Anne Arundel County could apply to the funding opportunity, with the City’s stormwater team partnering with the County’s Bureau of Watershed Protection and Restoration on common goals, and both sets of funding administered by the Trust.
“Our successful partnership with Anne Arundel County and now the City of Annapolis will allow for more resources to be invested in protecting our local waterways and improving our local communities,” said Dr. Jana Davis, Executive Director of the Chesapeake Bay Trust.
The Anne Arundel County Watershed Protection and Restoration Grant Program Awardees
Arundel Rivers Federation $298,665
In partnership with the Watershed Stewards Academy, the Federation will implement a stormwater project to treat and infiltrate stormwater flowing across St. Mark United Methodist Church property. Currently, the church’s property floods as a result of continued imperviousness upstream in the watershed, leading to flooding and untreated runoff into Piney Run. An existing drainpipe will be “daylighted,” allowing for infiltration of stormwater into the ground, replaced with a riparian floodplain and habitat for pollinators.
Chesapeake Rivers Association, $274,880
Funding will be used to decommission the pipe and spillway of an aging 1970s dam in the David’s Run Watershed that feeds into Hopkins Creek, Severn River. The re-engineering of the site will allow greater processing of excess nutrients that lead to algae blooms, create wildlife habitat, and treat up to a 100-year storm event.
Cedar Ridge Homes Association, $55,476
This volunteer community-driven project will build a “Green Alley,” a series of stormwater techniques to encourage infiltration of stormwater rather than surface flooding of stormwater and direct discharge to the storm drain system. This project will be the second green alley implemented with volunteer leadership by the community, with the first successfully solving local flooding issues, creating pollinator and other wildlife habitats, improving water quality, and beautifying the community.
Chesapeake Rivers Association, $169,969
This award will support the Back Creek Headwaters Restoration Project, a suite of implementation techniques on the property of the Annapolis Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) and Mariner’s Point Community Association.
The Tecumseh Condominium, $32,250
Funding will enable the community to develop a Stormwater Management Design Plan for the community to improve its environmental footprint.
Arundel Rivers Federation, $302,569
Funding will support the stabilization of a rapidly eroding stream channel in Broad Creek in the South River watershed and enhance wetland habitat, reducing the input of excess nutrients that can contribute to algae blooms and water quality issues (521 lbs per year of total nitrogen and 150 lbs per year of total phosphorus) and input of fine-grained sediment that affects water quality (9 tons of total suspended sediment per year).
Arundel Rivers Federation, $221, 960
Funding will be used to address channel and bank erosion of a stream in Caffrey Run, a tributary to Harness Creek in the South River, located in Quiet Waters Park. Harmful excess nutrients will be reduced by 338 lbs of nitrogen per year, 156 pounds of phosphorous per year, and annual sediment loads will be reduced by 148 tons.
