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Page last updated: 12/17/2025

Severn River Association and Hollywood-on-Severn Improvement Association (HOSIA) are partnering together. SRA helps communities improve their local environment and restore the Severn River. To that end, good communication is really important. This page is updated frequently to let you know about what’s happening with the living shoreline and stormwater management project in Hollywood-on-Severn. If you ever have any questions or concerns, please email our Restoration Manager, Ben Fertig: ben@severnriver.org

Click on any picture to make it bigger or to download.

Right now, in the early stages of design engineering, there is the best opportunity to make sure SRA and our contractor gets it right. Please let SRA know what you think. As we get closer to a finished design, there will be less wiggle room to make changes. Once the design is at 60% design, it will be locked in and we won’t be able to make changes.

SRA is a 501c3 non-profit organization with experience and success at pursuing funding and project management for pollution reduction and environmental restoration. Our vision is a thriving Severn River by 2050, and our mission is to connect the people who live, work, and play on the Severn River to restore and protect it for all of our communities.

Project Origin

HOSIA’s bulkhead by the communal gathering area is failing and needs repair or replacement. In 2023 HOSIA contacted SRA about the feasibility of replacing the bulkhead with a living shoreline on this community property. SRA conducted a site visit with a number of HOSIA board and community members and discussed the process of design, permitting, implementation (construction) and maintenance. HOSIA decided to work with SRA. SRA’s role is securing funding for design engineering and construction, serving as project manager, supervising contractors and coordinating with all relevant regulatory authorities.

Project Environmental Benefits

Maintain protection of communal gathering space from erosion, boat wakes etc.
Living shorelines can dampen the energy of wave action from storms and powerboat wakes, deflecting it away from the shore.
They collect sandy material as it drifts along the shoreline and deposit it within the area to be protected.
Living shorelines are a natural defense against erosion and a cost effective way to protect it.
Decrease harmful effects of flooding
Decreased nutrient & sediment pollution in the Severn – smaller and fewer ‘dead zones’ (maybe we even get rid of them altogether!)
Native plants will attract pollinators (birds, butterflies, bats and bees)
Increased biodiversity
Stronger, more resilient environment
Provide wildlife habitat

Project Summary

The primary goal of the project is to replace a failing bulkhead with a living shoreline in a way that balances enhanced recreational opportunities with improved water quality and wildlife habitat. Maintaining space for communal gatherings and enhanced water access for swimming, kayaking, paddleboarding, and power craft is critical for project success. The living shoreline should increase rates of denitrification – a natural nitrogen pollution reduction process – and decrease rates of erosion to help improve water quality in the Severn River. Currently, the Severn River has been declared “impaired” under the federal Clean Water Act for nitrogen, phosphorus, sediments and other pollutants. A second goal is to increase habitat and native species biodiversity, and create additional spawning and nursery grounds for juvenile turtles, fish, oysters, as well as native pollinators (birds, butterflies, bees and bats). Lastly, the third goal is to continue achieving all of the previous goals in the face of rising sea levels associated with climate change.

SRA will work with HOSIA to further define project goals and desired outcomes. Together, they will work with Hanover Land Services (HLS) to achieve an engineering design that meets the above goals and to obtain the necessary federal, state, and county permits. The first stage of project design is funded by a grant from the Chesapeake Bay Trust (CBT) Watershed Assistance Grant Program (WAGP). SRA will request additional funding from WAGP for the second stage of design in December 2025. The remainder of funding for design and permitting will be requested from the Anne Arundel Watershed and Restoration Grant fund and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Chesapeake Small Watershed Grants. Once the project has been designed sufficiently, SRA will guide HOSIA through selecting a construction contractor and will write grant proposals to secure funding to build the project.

Project Design

SRA wants to make sure that the project is something that the community will enjoy (in addition to all the great environmental benefits). As with so many things, there are trade-offs. We want to understand what you value so the project will reflect those values. Now is the best opportunity to make sure to get it right. Please let SRA know what you think about the concept below by emailing SRA’s Restoration Manager Ben Fertig—ben@severnriver.org.

Living Shorelines

Living shorelines create open spaces along a river’s shoreline, mimicking Mother Nature’s natural defenses against erosion. Living shorelines can solve typical erosion problems found on the Severn River. Their design not only protects the shoreline and cliffs from storm and powerboat wave energy, but also rebuilds the natural sandy shoreline that is greatly affected due to storms, rising sea level, and wave energy.

Timeline

Note that this timeline reflects what has happened and SRA’s best estimate for the future of this project. It is regularly updated as more becomes known.

2023

October – SRA met on site with HOSIA to discuss project viability,funding prospects, and restoration process
November – HOSIA decided to work with SRA as project manager and provided temporary access to SRA and (potential) contractors for project design.

2024

January 22 – Community meeting to discuss project and answer questions
March – Community survey
March to April – Site visits for potential contractors
April – Contractor bids due, HOSIA elects to work with Hanover Land Services, Inc. (HLS)
November 13 – Community meeting with SRA, HLS, HOSIA, Fairwinds, results of community survey shared
December – SRA submitted a proposal to CBT WAGP and a second proposal to Chesapeake and Atlantic Coastal Bays Trust Fund for living shoreline and stormwater management design and permitting.

2025

March – CBT WAGP awarded partial funding of $38,118! Design work begins.
May to July – Preliminary field investigation, hydrology and hydraulics analysis, floodplain study
July- DNR Trust Fund application not awarded
July to September – Geotechnical investigation, data analysis, concept revision

2026

February – Work towards a 30% design plan set. Apply for Anne Arundel Watershed Restoration (AAWR) grant award to fund continuing design and permitting work.
June – Awarded $87,958 design funds through AAWR
July – Arrived at 30% design concept!
August to September – Get community feedback on design plans. Shoreline committee meeting on August 8th

2028

June – Hear back from DNR Trust Fund and Whole Watershed Fund
September – Construction begins
November – Construction complete. Begin maintenance by SRA

2033

December – Maintenance responsibility transfers to HOSIA

Ways You Can Help!

Community support is critical to grant-funded projects. HOSIA has already contributed substantially. Specifically, there are several ways you can choose to support this project. Any and all are appreciated!

You can pledge to help volunteer with planting and/or maintaining native plants as part of the project’s installation.
You can install a rain garden in your yard to capture and slow down stormwater coming off your roof.
Other …. There are lots of ways to be involved. If you have an idea or want to discuss, please reach out!

If you are interested in participating in any of the ways above, please reach out to SRA’s Restoration Manager, Ben Fertig: ben@severnriver.org

Community Comments, Questions & Concerns

Let SRA know your thoughts about the project. We will update this section with how these will be addressed.

Living Shoreline Questions

What will the rocks and vegetation look like?

The boulders will be immobile against tidal and boat wake energy, with a sandy area and a range of vegetation from short native grasses to taller, salt-tolerant species like Spartina to create a marsh-like area

What will the exact extent of the living shoreline be? How far out will the rocks be? What shape will it take?

To be defined. This hasn’t been determined yet and will be defined with the community and the bathymetry (depth), fetch, etc. Based on the community’s vision (including the kids), it is important to maintain access for a kayak launch and continued access to sandy area.

What will high tides and storms do to the living shoreline? How is it different from a bulkhead?

The rocks and marsh grasses will dissipate energy, and the sill will be tall enough to withstand rising sea levels and storms. This will minimize water movement landward, unlike a bulkhead, which offers no energy dissipation and allows water to splash over. The living shoreline will preserve the beach long-term, while the bulkhead will not.

How will the recreational area change? More? Less? Can we add a boardwalk? How will the swim area be affected?

The recreational area will remain mostly unchanged, as grant funds focus on water quality and habitat improvements, not recreational enhancements. Boardwalks and similar amenities are unlikely to be funded. The rock sills will dissipate wave energy, reaching wading depth. Potentially, this may allow wading or limited swimming near the living shoreline

Will the water depth at dock and slip zone change with the living shoreline?

No. The dock and slips will not be impacted

The HOSIA beach area along the current bulkhead is deteriorating and there are pockets and large holes that are dangerous for beachgoers. Would it be possible to get some guidance about how we can make the bulkhead area more safe temporarily until the project commences?

Cordoning off those areas is probably quickest and easiest. It is unlikely to be cost-effective to engineer something more robust as a temporary solution.

There continues to be a strong interest among community members and committee members to see other examples of living shorelines in our area. Maybe this would be possible in the spring/summer? In the interim, it would be great to share pictures of the shorelines in a presentation to the community. I think people are afraid the beach area would become a grassy marsh instead of a beach.

SRA completed a living shoreline restoration project in West Severna Park a few years ago. We worked with Flood Brothers Co. We are waiting to find out if we will be funded to create a ‘Living Shoreline EcoTour’ in the Severn River. If so, we would love for you to join us!

Other examples of NOAA funded living shorelines are available here: https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/edc3cc67b37f43a5a815202f81768911

You can also watch the seminar on living shorelines by Dr. Cindy Palinkas, UMCES Horn Point Lab, that we hosted in September.https://severnriver.org/speaker-series/living-shorelines-john-wright-speaker-series/

restore-onshore

Maybe neighboring communities (e.g. Fairwinds, Whitney’s Landing, and Carrollton Manor) would also be interested in living shorelines. Should we collaborate?

Awesome! SRA has followed up with each of these communities, but it makes most sense to pursue funding separately. Whitney’s Landing has opted to not pursue this currently. SRA has not heard back from Carrollton Manor. Fairwinds is interested in pursuing a living shoreline and stormwater management to restore their eroded shoreline and prevent future damage. Working with the community, SRA has been awarded partial funding ($50K) to design stormwater management in three areas of community property. We will be following up to pursue additional funding to design a living shoreline, as well as construction funding for both stormwater management and the living shoreline.

What impact will the living shoreline have on fish?

Living shorelines provide nursery habitat for juvenile fish, blue crabs and many other species. It will be a popular spot for birds like herons and egrets as well.

Will the beach be available to the community during the construction?

No, probably not – it will be a construction zone. But we can time construction to have minimal disruption to water access.

Can you take down trees and grade the land into gentle slopes as a form to address the erosion and cliffs?

While a gentler grade will decrease erosion rate, losing trees may increase erosion, which presents a challenging situation for the engineers.

How are you accounting for sea level rise and water level changes?

We can use the NOAA Sea Level Rise Viewer. https://coast.noaa.gov/slr/

Are there explanations for the big areas of sea grasses last year?

Seagrass comes and goes due to a lot of factors. It’s hard to say with certainty.

How do we prevent phragmites (invasive marsh grass that creates monocultures)?

Cut it down and tarp it for a minimum of two years. It will need monthly maintenance to remove any new growth poking out of holes or around the edges. Chemical sprays are ultimately ineffective as they increase the number of shoots per unit area that Phragmites grows. Email me for more information.

Will the existing bulkhead be kept in place or removed?

It will be removed as part of the process.

I heard something about marine borings for geotechnical analysis. What is that for?

To ensure that the rocks for the living shoreline do not slip, and that the underlying sediments can bear their weight, it is necessary to drill a few bore holes to better understand what the sediments are made of and what their carrying capacity is. To do this, the marine geotechnical subcontractor will need access to a boat ramp for their truck/trailer that has a crane and their drill rig – so access to the boat ramp needs a certain height and turning radius. Alternatively, the drill rig can come by barge. Either way, it will be more expensive to fetch it from further away. Lack of access thus far has delayed this step. SRA, HLS, and HOSIA are checking with nearby communities and marinas including Whitney’s Landing, Ben Oaks, Arden, Smith’s Marina, etc. We will likely need access a single time, for 1 day.

This project is in the “Critical Area”. What is that, and how does it impact our project?

Briefly, the “Chesapeake Bay Critical Area” is anywhere within 1,000 feet from the mean high tide or the edge of tidal wetlands, as well as all waters of and lands under the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries. It’s really important to protect this area to help improve the health of the Chesapeake Bay overall. As such, there are various regulations at the County and State level about what can and can’t be done within this area. SRA and HLS will ensure that this project meets all of these standards and will liaise with the Critical Area Commission.

Landscaping Questions

Is it possible to plant more native plants on our HOSIA property near the water, as part of the project? What is the buffer zone on land that is considered part of the shoreline (how far inland is considered the “shore”)?

Yes! Native plants can be included in the living shoreline and stormwater management while preserving a grassy area for gatherings and recreation. The shoreline’s size and orientation can be adjusted to create high/low marsh in shallow areas.

When is the best time to plant the plants?

Late winter to spring. Planting will happen soon after construction is completed.

Will we have a landscaping plan?

Yes! That is part of the design that HLS is putting together – but it will probably be done closer towards the end of the engineering work. Having a planting plan will be helpful for when actually putting the project in the ground, and it will show what species – and how many of each – go where. It’s been suggested to include a few trees near the water.

Are there any wetlands we need to worry about or work around?

HLS will do a wetland delineation survey as part of its initial fieldwork. Everything they find will be shown on the design plan set.

Can we help?

Yes! Great idea! We would love to have a community planting day(s) once everything is built. It’s a great way to get involved! More details closer to the time.

Stormwater Management Questions

Stormwater management is also important. Would it be included or separate from this project? There is a pipe (possibly plugged) with an outfall onto the beach. Other drain pipes also lead to the river. An “island” on Oak Rd. could be incorporated.

Yes, this was included in the Request for Proposals (RFP) for contractors to incorporate in their bid and cost estimate. Ultimately it is best to concurrently consider stormwater and the living shoreline.

Is the county responsible for the stormwater pipe that runs through the community beach? The stormwater pipe does not seem to be functioning properly.

We should investigate what it would take to assess the stormwater pipe. County has an easement to handle and would continue to have the easement.

What will happen with the stormwater outfall?

Right now the concept is to have green stormwater infrastructure on Riverside Dr that will have stormwater flow through a pipe and then into a BMP before being discharged to the river. This will provide filtration and treatment and reduce pollution entering the Severn River. The amount of pollution reduced needs to be quantified more fully, and this will be included in the design plan set.

Will ground penetrating radar be used to identify underground utilities, and will these be included in the design plan sets?

Yes – HLS will subcontract the subsurface utility exploration. Having this information at the beginning is critical because utilities can potentially impact stormwater BMP feasibility, location, design etc. It can be prohibitively expensive to relocate utilities. We do not want to get to construction and be surprised by an unknown utility that then requires redesign on the fly. Note that ground penetrating radar was not originally included in the proposal or budget for the CBT WAGP grant. SRA will cover this cost, which will count as additional matching funds towards the overall project.

Is there erosion going on at Fetter Lane?

A tree has fallen, which can potentially indicate that erosion is occurring at the top of the hill. It would be helpful if HLS could take a look. SRA and HOSIA will arrange with the relevant property owners.

Maintenance Questions

Will there be a transition period for SRA maintenance to community maintenance?

SRA will put together and provide an easy-to-read maintenance plan. HOSIA can contractually extend SRA’s maintenance after the five year period. and will provide it to the community. SRA is developing a program to continue maintenance beyond the initial five year period on a contractual basis. Details on this program are not yet available.

Under the Maintenance MOU the community “can’t alter the project post construction (without approval).” Will the living shoreline become county property? How much of the living shoreline area will no longer be the community property?

The property, in entirety, remains owned by the community. In effect, this stipulation is the same as any other type of change to private property that would require county approval or permit. Alterations could occur, the County just wants to know about changes to its investment and ensure the project’s longevity.

How is storm damage managed?

The living shoreline is designed to dissipate wave energy through a combination of boulders/stones and vegetation. There are observations of less storm damage in areas where living shorelines have been installed compared to where they have not. After storms, you can call SRA for an initial damage assessment and appropriate followup.

Grant Questions

How would you go about gathering community requirements for the RFP for contractors?

Community survey. Listening to the living shoreline committee. Email ben@severnriver.org to let me know about concerns directly, the earlier the better.

Where will you get funding from?

We’ll first apply to Chesapeake Bay Trust’s Watershed Assistance Grant Program (WAGP) for design engineering, though design funding is challenging and may require multiple attempts. Proposals are due each December, with feedback in three months. Once funded and at “60% Design” (design completion and permit start), we’ll apply for construction funds, likely from the MD DNR’s Chesapeake and Atlantic Coastal Bays Trust Fund, with a December deadline and a six-month review.

Is the match tax deductible when given from individuals or only when given from the community?

Both options are possible, but consult a tax professional. While matching funds or in-kind contributions aren’t required for a grant, they can strengthen the proposal. Only a pledge for a match is needed at submission; contributions are made if the grant is awarded. A kid-friendly community planting event could count as an in-kind match, with financial support from HOSIA. Commitment letters outlining contributions will also help. Matching contributions for design/permitting count as leverage for construction funding, where additional matches are also favorable.

You mentioned that the average amount of matching funds is $19,000. What percent of that is cash vs. in-kind goods or services?

Unknown at this time.

Are in-kind services necessary?

No. If community members are interested in volunteering to help plant vegetation once the living shoreline and/or stormwater treatment practice is installed, SRA can help coordinate and organize volunteers.

Suggestion: Town hall for the kids?

Great idea! This is mentioned in the proposal.

Are there any grants for retaining walls for erosion?

I am not aware of any.

Do you know of opportunities for community gardening and stormwater gardens?

Rain gardens on private property can be considered if a) it is part of a larger proposal most of which is focused on community/public property and b) it is not required by some court-ordered or other legal mandate. See https://cbtrust.org/grants/

What are the next steps?

See the timeline on this web page and the presentations.

Now that the WAGP grant has been awarded, when will CBT provide the funds?

CBT generally has a few tasks (“contingencies”) that must occur for funding to be provided. SRA has completed all of these items and CBT provided 90% of the awarded funds in May 2025.

When should HOSIA provide the matching funds to SRA?

HOSIA provided $20,000 as matching funds to the project via SRA shortly after the award was announced so that the project can get started. These funds are used to pay HLS.

How will the project be impacted if there is a federal funding freeze?

We don’t have a crystal ball. Specific impacts to this project may depend on the details of what happens at the federal level. However, CBT has already provided 90% of the awarded funds to SRA so the project can start. Federal funds are committed for a year based on the federal budget. SRA and HLS commit to constant communication with Chesapeake Bay Trust, other funding agencies, HOSIA, each other, and all concerned parties. SRA contracts include clauses specifying procedures for when/how to stop and resume work. SRA seeks project funding from all available opportunities, including state, county, private, and other sources. SRA views a scenario where there is a federal funding freeze as a delay, not a denial.