Stream Restoration Archives - Page 2 of 2 - Center for Watershed Protection

The Four Horsemen of Stream Restoration Sustainability

Last week our construction staff attended a preconstruction conference for what we consider a large stream restoration project that we are constructing. At the meeting, one of the project sponsors seemed almost gleeful that this project was in fact one of the most expensive stream restoration projects ever for them. The design and construction costs approached $1,000 per linear foot. You don’t have to be an expert in stream restoration or construction methods to conclude that this type of project is clearly not sustainable. I was curious how this project ended up being so expensive. To figure this out, I [...]

admin2017-09-18T06:35:52-04:00April 25th, 2014|

Preparing for Salinization of our Freshwater Streams

As an ecologically minded person, I'd say that I have been "aware" of the "road salt problem." I've recently become more interested in this issue while working on restoring the Tiber Hudson watershed that drains to downtown Ellicott City where the Center's main office is located. After reviewing some of the past biological assessments, I noted that the reports state that the macroinvertebrate and fish communities were in worse condition than would have been expected by imperviousness alone. Some other impairment was suspected and chloride from road salt was noted as a possibility. Since the long-term watershed goal that I had established for the Tiber Hudson was an [...]

admin2021-01-27T15:02:29-05:00February 28th, 2014|

Stream Restoration Crediting for Meeting Sediment and Nutrient Goals in the Chesapeake Bay

How do you estimate sediment and nutrient load reduction benefits associated with stream restoration and keep your sanity, self-respect and professional integrity? This was a question posed to a Panel of Experts brought together by the Chesapeake Bay Program (CBP) and jointly facilitated by the Center for Watershed Protection and Chesapeake Stormwater Network. The CBP uses an expert panel process to review and update the sediment and nutrient removal performance of Best Management Practices to provide “planning level” estimates in meeting load reduction targets established by the sediment and nutrient TMDLs for the Bay. The Stream Restoration Panel of Experts [...]

admin2017-09-18T09:20:12-04:00May 31st, 2013|

Chesapeake Bay Program Approves New Stream Restoration Protocols for Estimating Sediment and Nutrient Load Reductions

By Lisa Fraley-McNeal, Center for Watershed Protection, Wednesday May 29, 2013 The new protocol recommendations for the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Modeling Team for redefining removal rates for individual stream restoration projects were accepted by the Water Quality Goal Implementation Team – the final step in the review process of urban BMPs. The recommendations are the result of work done by the Center for Watershed Protection and the Chesapeake Stormwater Network to include a better method to estimate sediment and nutrient load reductions associated with stream restoration projects. The revisions imply a much greater credit reduction rate than is currently approved. [...]

admin2017-09-27T09:46:18-04:00May 29th, 2013|