The Center for Watershed Protection is happy to announce the completion of a $1.3 million, three-year project to restore over 2/3 of a mile of stream at the Bar-T Mountainside property in Urbana, Maryland. The Center managed the overall project with design and construction support from Ecotone, and the work was funded by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, Frederick County and Baltimore Gas and Electric.
The North Branch of Little Bennett Creek flows through the 115-acre Bar-T Mountainside property, owned by Joe Richardson and operated as an outdoors summer camp and afterschool program. This project restored a 1,744-foot segment of the North Branch of Bennett Creek, which, prior to restoration, had a Bank Erodibility Hazard Index score of 45 and a rating of Very High to Extreme. Stream banks at this location were 3-4 feet high and actively eroding and the floodplain had been heavily impacted by legacy sediment and historic agricultural activities. These impacts disconnected the stream from its floodplain, reducing its ability to absorb floodwaters and filter out pollutants such as nitrogen and phosphorus. The project area is downstream from a highly managed golf course that provides significant nutrient inputs to the watershed.
Severely eroding banks on the North Branch Bennett Creek
The project realigned portions of the North Branch of Bennett Creek using sustainable design concepts and creating a more stable plan form geometry. A natural sinuous stream pattern was developed to allow access to the existing floodplain, add diversity to the system, and create habitat. Restoration techniques included improving riparian vegetation and creating floodplain wetlands to improve groundwater and floodplain connectivity. Bioengineering practices were utilized to provide additional stability, shade, reduced water temperatures, and improved aquatic habitat. An additional 752 feet of an eroded unnamed tributary that was contributing sediment to the North Branch of Bennett Creek was restored by raising the stream bed in select locations and stabilizing the banks to prevent future head cuts and protect a farm pond and pedestrian bridge.
North Branch Bennett Creek before (left) and after (right) restoration
The project also included restoring approximately 1,215 feet of an ephemeral tributary which had head cut into eroded gully to a “Stage Zero” stream segment with a high width/depth ratio and high roughness, and now resembles a low flow anastomosing stream
Gully before (left) and after (right) restoration
To accomplish the project, the Center teamed with Ecotone to design, permit, and construct the stream restoration. The Center managed the overall project, conducted the Bank Assessment for Non–point source Consequences of Sediment assessments for crediting, and assisted with design and permitting. The Center also acted as the main point of contact for the landowner and all project funders. Ecotone led the design and permitting process and was the construction contractor.
It is expected that in 20 years, North Branch Bennett Creek will evolve into a partially forested, slightly entrenched, riffle pool sequence with frequent out-of-bank flows, providing the community with sediment storage, flood attenuation, and nutrient reductions. Toe wood will continue to provide extensive surface protection and structure, as well as instream cover, for a variety of fish species. Constructed riffles and log structures will become more stable over time as root density and depth provide resilient progression of bank stability.
In addition to providing these local improvements, this project has helped Frederick County make progress toward their Chesapeake Bay pollution reduction goals in a cost-effective manner and serves to educate students about streams. Joe Richardson and Bar-T Mountainside are taking advantage of the restored creeks and wetlands to expand the scope of environmental and scientific education offerings on the campus. This has included collecting and analyzing macro-invertebrate samples with students which will continue after construction to measures the project’s ability to support aquatic organisms. For passive visitors, the educational mission of the camp is supported by a series of signs along a foot trail which describe the project, how it is beneficial, and the biota that now thrive in the area.
Joe Richardson, Sr., the owner of Bar-T, has stated his contentment with the project by stating, “The stream restoration project has enabled Bar-T Mountainside to fulfill our commitment to preserve and protect our wetlands. This ecological and engineering feat will enable us as a non-formal environmental educator, to teach optimal environmental and sustainable practices for decades to come”
To learn more about this project, contact Bryan Seipp at bts@cwp.org.
