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Governor Larry Hogan Announces Funding for Chesapeake Bay Water Quality Improvements

Maryland Department of Natural Resources Awards $21.54 Million to 18 Local Projects

Photo by Allan Napfel

Governor Larry Hogan today announced that the Maryland Department of Natural Resources has awarded funding to 18 recipients through the Chesapeake and Atlantic Coastal Bays Trust Fund to improve the health of Maryland’s waterways. The Trust Fund directs critical grant funding to the most cost-effective and efficient water quality improvement projects in the state that result in the highest level of pollution reduction as a return of the state’s investment.

Governor Hogan has continued to demonstrate his commitment to Chesapeake Bay restoration by becoming the first governor in Maryland history to fully fund the Chesapeake and Atlantic Coastal Bays Trust Fund the last two years. Additionally, after years of raiding by the previous administration, the Hogan administration has also fully funded Program Open Space, the state’s premier land conservation and recreation program.

“We have invested the most ever – nearly $145 million dollars – in the Chesapeake and Atlantic Coastal Bays Trust Fund. Last year was the first time it has ever been fully funded in our state’s history, and we fully funded Bay restoration efforts again this year,” said Governor Hogan. “These 18 shovel-ready projects, totaling more than $21 million dollars of investments, will have a long-lasting, positive impact on the Bay and the environment.”

The Trust Fund grants announced today will provide funding to watershed projects from Frederick to Talbot County, including stream and wetland restoration, innovative stormwater management, riparian tree buffer plantings and more.

“The Trust Fund allows us to engage local communities in discovering cost-effective and innovative approaches aimed at protecting our waterways,” Natural Resources Secretary Mark Belton said. “Through pioneering partnerships, Maryland is realizing lower costs for the removal of nutrients and sediments, a benefit for the environment and taxpayers.”

The Trust Fund is administered by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources and guided by the Chesapeake Bay Cabinet. Department staff works with local partners on stormwater infrastructure improvements and employing the latest technologies to improve water quality. Since its creation in 2007, the Trust Fund has supported more than 2,000 projects across the state, creating and supporting approximately 2,300 jobs.

Proposal TitleFunding RecipientAbstract

County Project Location and/or Recipient Project Description
Asbury Broadneck UMC Historic Cemetery Revitalization with Water Quality Improvements Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay intends to capture and treat stormwater runoff from 40.3 acres with 6.35 acres of impervious surfaces, all discharging through county conveyance into an ephemeral stream channel on church property.
Najoles Road Pond Retrofit and Stream Restoration Anne Arundel County Anne Arundel County will retrofit the stormwater pond to provide water quality and quantity controls, reducing downstream erosion, restoring the function and stability of 1,800 linear feet (lf) of stream, and stabilize an eroding gully with approximately 360 lf of step pool storm conveyance systems (SPSC).
Cattail Creek Restoration Anne Arundel Watershed Stewards Academy The Berrywood Community Association (BCA) will restore the stream and introduce stormwater BMPs to address erosion issues and to improve the water quality of Cattail Creek.
White Marsh Run at Upton Road Stream Restoration Baltimore County DEPS Baltimore County will implement a stream restoration that will restore floodplain connection and stabilize banks along 2,200 lf of highly incised stream channel.
Baltimore County SCD Project Proposal for FY18 Nonpoint Source Funding Baltimore County Soil Conservation District The Baltimore County Soil Conservation District will construct 3 restoration projects that will use natural design concepts and sustainable practices to cost-effectively reduce nitrogen, phosphorus, and sediment loads.
Cecil County MS4 Compliance Project Cecil County Department of Public Works The Cecil County MS4 Compliance Project includes the implementation of a combination of new stormwater management (SWM) practices using Environmental Site Design (ESD), retrofits of existing SWM facilities, roadside ditch improvements, and bio-swale implementation within Cecil County.
Principio Creek Restoration – Phase II Cecil Land Trust Cecil Land Trust will restore approximately 13,700 linear feet of degraded, channelized and eroding portions of Principio Creek and its tributaries within the John Zartler property. In addition, 36.8 acres of riparian buffers and wetlands will also be restored.
Gunston School Restoration and Stormwater BMPs Chester River Association The Chester River Association will install a suite of BMPs at Gunston School, Queen Anne’s County, which will filter stormwater from about 25 acres of grass, fertilized playing fields, parking lots, and roofs situated on the banks of the Corsica River.
Hungerford Stoneridge SWM Retrofit City of Rockville The City of Rockville will complete the Hungerford-Stoneridge SWM facility retrofit to provide additional water quality treatment for the drainage area.
Upper Shore Wetland Restoration Program Ducks Unlimited, Inc. Ducks Unlimited will restore wetland hydrology, flora, and fauna to prior converted agricultural lands to reduce excess nutrient/sediment loads and provide optimal wildlife habitat in important Chesapeake Bay sub-watersheds.
Harford County Watershed Restoration FY2018 Harford County, Maryland Harford County will implement 2 watershed restoration projects including a combination of stream restorations and stormwater management retrofits.
Deer Creek Watershed Stream Restoration Harford Soil Conservation District The Harford Soil Conservation District will improve water quality and habitat through three stream restoration and wetland restoration projects within the Deer Creek Watershed.
Patapsco River Road and Trinity School Bioretentions Howard County, MD Howard County will implement three curb bump out bioretention areas designed for Patapsco River Road and a stormwater facility at Trinity School.
Waterside Community Riparian Reforestation Project Land and Cultural Preservation Fund, inc. The Waterside Community Riparian Restoration Project will reforest 33.6 acres with native tree species in the riparian zone along the Tuscarora Creek and the Monocacy River within the Waterside Community in Frederick, MD.
Healthy Forests Healthy Waters -T-3 Maryland Forestry Foundation The Maryland Forestry Foundation will implement FCPs and FSPs developed by MD Forest Service in cooperation with private forest landowners that support forest based BMPs (i.e. Upland tree planting and riparian forest buffers).
Montgomery County Dept. of Environmental Protection FY18 Capital Stormwater and Stream Restoration Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection Montgomery County’s Department of Environmental Protection will construct two green infrastructure, two pond retrofit, and two combined pond retrofit/stream restoration project sites to help meet MS4 permit and TMDL requirements to improve water quality and add stormwater management to uncontrolled impervious areas.
St. Paul’s Church 580 Streambank Protection – Phase 1 The County Commissioners of Kent County Kent County will restore 125 linear feet of existing stream bank (1,250 sq. ft. of non-tidal wetland buffer) to effect erosion and sediment control.
Oxford Causeway Stormwater Bioretention Town of Oxford Town of Oxford will integrate two new substantial retention areas, and expand and improve existing retention swales in order to increase stormwater retention capacity, improve water quality at final discharge to local waters, and increase coastal resiliency for a critical area of the community.
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