Page Updated: August, 2026
At Severn River Association (SRA), we help communities improve their local environment and restore the Severn River. Good communication is really important. This page will update you about what’s happening with the erosion and stormwater management project along the access road to the Kensington waterfront. Please email Ben Fertig, ben@severnriver.org, with questions. Click on any picture to make it bigger or to download.
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
The Kensington community has been experiencing substantial stormwater runoff down the steep slopes of its access road to the waterfront. This runoff has led to substantial erosion, causing sinkholes underneath the access road and breaking the edges of the asphalt. Between April 2024 and March 2025, the Severn River Association (SRA) engaged with the Kensington community to address the erosion and runoff issues initially reported by resident and community Vice President Nelly Bronson. Following early communication and a June 2024 site visit, SRA provided materials outlining the restoration process, including an access agreement and grant proposal templates. In early 2025, Watershed Steward Karen Kiehne reconnected SRA with community members, leading to a joint site visit on March 18 with representatives from Anne Arundel County, SRA, and the community (Nelly Bronson, Briana Fach, and Mike Finn).
Next steps include gauging community support, securing a letter of commitment, soliciting contractor input, applying for a Watershed Assistance Grant Program (WAGP) grant, completing project design and permitting, obtaining construction funding, implementing the restoration, and establishing maintenance plans.
The primary goal of the project is to prevent further erosion by slowing down the stormwater runoff and treating it for nitrogen, phosphorus, and sediment pollution before it enters Forked Creek and the Severn River. A second goal is to continue protecting the community’s access to the water via the access road. SRA will work with Kensington Community Association to further define project goals and desired outcomes.
Project Environmental Benefits
- Maintain protection of communal water access from erosion.
- Decrease nutrient & sediment pollution in the Severn – smaller and fewer ‘dead zones’ (maybe we even get rid of them altogether!)
- Increase biodiversity with installation of native plants that will attract pollinators (birds, butterflies, bats and bees)
- Stronger, more resilient environment
- Provide wildlife habitat by enhancing the ecological conditions needed for foraging and nesting.
- Indirectly benefits tidal habitats essential for sustaining resilient waterfowl populations
What’s the Big Deal About Stormwater, Anyway?
Great question!
As you’re probably already well aware, storms can cause flooding and erosion. The waterfront access road at Kensington is particularly susceptible to these because of the steep slopes on both sides. Does something like this look familiar?
When water runs downhill it carries sediments (to which phosphorus ‘sticks’), dissolves nitrogen and carries these nutrients with it, down to the Severn and the Chesapeake Bay. Nutrients sound good, right? We need nutrition after all.
Yes – but to a point.
When there are too many nutrients (either nitrogen or phosphorus), it spurs algae populations to grow out of control. Nitrogen and phosphorus are basically what’s in plant fertilizer, as many gardeners know. The algae population grows so much that it uses up all the nutrients, but then the algae ‘starve’ to death and sink to the bottom of the water. The algae then decompose and the bacteria decomposing the algae use up oxygen, creating dead zones where oxygen levels are too low for most organisms (e.g. rockfish, oysters, and crabs) to survive. Overgrowth of algae and dead zones decrease biodiversity which in turn impacts humans and other organisms that feed and rely on these aquatic organisms.
SRA water quality monitoring in the Severn River records low oxygen levels frequently during summer that indicates the presence of dead zones throughout the river, including Forked Creek. This is a problem going on in your backyard.
This project will decrease the stormwater runoff that contributes to these dead zones. Additionally, the projects will help curtail the flooding, erosion, and sedimentation in the community.
Project Summary
The overall goal of this project is to 1) protect access to the Severn River and 2) improve water quality in the Severn River by reducing nitrogen, phosphorus, and sediment pollution from stormwater runoff. To achieve these goals, the primary objective of this project is to design and permit a comprehensive nature-based solution that reduces water flow and treats the stormwater runoff pollution by slowing the water down and letting it seep into the ground. By collaborating with Kensington Community Association and other non-profits we believe this project can serve as a model to other communities to increase benefits to the environment and the community. Ultimately, when implemented, this project will increase habitat and native species biodiversity and protect this communal space.
SRA is seeking grant funding for this project. Funding could be awarded in full, in part, or not at all. If unsuccessful, SRA will try again. A ‘no’ is not final or forever.
There are four stages to the project:
- Identifying community needs and interests
- Engineering design and permitting
- Construction
- Maintenance
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). Keep in mind that, as with so many things in life, there are trade-offs to consider. We want to understand what you value so the project will reflect those values. So, right now we want your feedback, especially while the project is still in its early stages.
The early stages of the project is the best opportunity to make sure to get it right. Please let me know what you think. You can email me any time, ben@severnriver.org. As we get closer to a finished design, there will be less wiggle room to make changes. Once the design is 100% complete, it will be locked in and we won’t be able to make changes.
Kensington Community Association and Severndale Community Association will be consulted at each stage of design and will provide written approval at the 30%, 60%, 90% and 100% stages prior to moving forward. Community members will be apprised of progress through emails, community meetings, and this project webpage.
Below is an example concept design (not from Kensington!) for what the stormwater treatment best management practice could look like. Stormwater would enter the stormwater treatment area and seep into the ground over 48 hours. There would not be any standing water after 48 hours, so mosquitos and other bugs will not have time to lay their eggs. The treatment areas would be dug deep and filled with layers of gravel, sand and top soil. When completed it will be fairly shallow (around 12-18 inches) and planted with native species that have deep roots and will help water seep down into the ground rather than along the surface. When blooming, these plants will be beautiful!
Once a concept for this project has been developed, it will be shown here instead of the example below.
Project Construction
SRA will seek construction funding once 60% design is achieved and permits are requested through a combination of grant proposals submitted to the Whole Watershed Fund, Anne Arundel County (via Chesapeake Bay Trust), MD Department of Natural Resources (the Chesapeake and Atlantic Coastal Bays Trust Fund), and/or the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (Small Watershed Grant).
Maintenance
Once constructed, SRA will be responsible for maintaining the project for the first five years FOR FREE to the Kensington community. SRA anticipates contracting with Maryland Reentry Resource Center (www.mdrrc.org), and its sister organization GreenLift, which provides wraparound services and job training for neighbors returning from incarceration so that they can successfully transition back home. After five years, responsibility for maintenance will be transferred to Kensington Community Association. Optionally, the community can contract with SRA or GreenLift to continue maintenance services.
Maintenance obligations are specified in the Memorandum of Understanding with the County and include:
- Weeding, mulching (if/as needed), trash removal, and general aesthetic maintenance
- Vegetation: 85% survival, and it can’t be removed or modified without approval
- County can, during business hours and with advanced notice, verify & inspect the project to ensure maintenance, and this level of access runs with the land
- County receives the water quality improvement credits
- County provides structural maintenance (anything really big)
- Post-construction, can’t alter the project without approval
SRA estimates maintenance costs to be about $3,600 annually if contracted out, but many communities opt to hold volunteer days annually (often around Earth Day). SRA can help organize volunteer days if desired.
Timeline
- April, 2024 – Nelly Bronson contacted SRA to let us know about erosions and runoff issues at Kensington.
- May 2024 – Further conversation led to scheduling a site visit
- June 2024 – SRA met on site to discuss further and take photos. SRA provided various documents and details (see below)
- February 2025 – Watershed Steward Karen Kiehne connected Ben with Kensington and Anne Arundel County about another site visit
- March 2025 – Site visit with Anne Arundel County (Sally Albright, Katie Mullen), SRA (Ben Fertig, Mollie Boyd), and Kensington (Nelly, Briana Fach), Watershed Steward (Karen Kiehne).
- April 2025 – Kensington Community Association provided SRA with a Letter of Commitment pledging $5,000 towards the project IF and WHEN the design grant is fully funded.
- Fall 2025 – Contractor site visits and selection. Concept creation.
- February 2026 – SRA submits a proposal to the Chesapeake Bay Trust for design and permitting.
- June 2026 – Grant Funded, project begins
- July-August 2026 – Natural Resource Inventory and field assessments
- August-September 2026 – Detailed field survey and base map preparation
- October-November 2026 – 30% design
- November-December 2026 – communities review 30% design
- January-February 2027 – 65% design
- February 2027 – Apply for construction funding
- March 2027 – communities review 65% design
- April 2027 – 90% design
- May 2027 – communities review 90% design
- May-July 2027 – permitting and 100% design
- July 2027 – Hear if construction is funded, if so, construction begins
- September 2027 – Assuming funded, construction completed, SRA responsible for maintenance for 5 years
- September 2032 – maintenance responsibility transfers to Kensington and Severndale
Ways You Can Help!
Community support is critical to a successful grant proposal. 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 barrel or rain garden to capture and slow down stormwater coming off your roof. Contact Ben Fertig for more information and support.
- You can contribute additional financial support to the project.
- 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 Questions & Concerns
Let SRA know your thoughts about the project. We will update this section with how these will be addressed.
- How will this project affect my property lines? If I or a future home owner ever wanted to add a fence, would they be able to?
- Is there a plan to remove a lot of mature oak trees?
No, we are not. - Is the maintenance my personal responsibility or am I obligated to let others enter my property to help with annual maintenance tasks
Photos
Check out the Google Photo Album for photos of the sites. Photos will be added to track the progress.
Presentations
Stormwater and erosion in Kensington