July 2024 Restoration Update
Published: July 15, 2024
Construction of Georgetown East Townhouse Community Stormwater Management
Exciting news! The Maryland Department of Natural Resources has awarded the Severn River Association (SRA) a $254K grant to construct micro-bioretention cells in the Georgetown East Townhouse Community. Combined with a $26K grant from the Chesapeake Bay Trust Anne Arundel County Watershed Restoration Grant awarded earlier this year, construction of this project is fully funded! These large rain gardens will play a crucial role in managing stormwater runoff, a significant issue in Georgetown East. The absence of effective stormwater controls has led to pollution in the Severn River, violating clean water regulations. With these grants, we can implement Best Management Practices (BMP) to address these concerns, reduce flooding, and filter harmful pollutants before they reach Back Creek. These efforts not only help meet pollution reduction goals, but also enhance community spaces and mitigate the impacts of climate change. Education on stormwater control and environmental resilience is also a key component of this initiative. This project was identified in the 2017 Back Creek Watershed Action Plan, and the design was funded by a Chesapeake Bay Trust Anne Arundel County Watershed Restoration grant in 2023. In November 2022, Georgetown East resident Jenny S. raised concerns about inadequate stormwater management during a webinar, leading to a collaborative effort with SRA. Jenny, a landscape architect, is also contributing to the project by designing the landscape plantings that will happen at the end of the construction. For more details, visit: www.severnriver.org/georgetown-east/
Top: SRA partnered with BayLand Consultants and Designers to prepare this engineering design of the stormwater management micro-bioretention cells.
Bottom left: Much of this grassy common area becomes flooded with stormwater and will be converted into one of the large rain gardens.
Bottom right: Grace Weems (SRA intern), Nicole Carlozo and Dana Reiss from Maryland Department of Natural Resources, and Jon Chapman (Georgetown East Townhouse Community liaison) discuss the project during a site visit
Low Salinity Delays Restoration of 23 Million Oysters at Traces Hollow 2a
Despite the dry conditions over the past five or six weeks, we’ve observed low salinities of 6-7 ppt (parts per thousand) in the Severn River. This anomaly is likely due to windy conditions that bring fresher water from the north, causing mixing that equalizes salinity levels throughout the water column. This is great for dissolved oxygen levels but problematic for oyster reproduction, which thrives at salinities starting around 10 ppt. To avoid shocking the spat on shell and ensure the greatest oyster survival possible, we are postponing the planting of 10 million oysters at Traces Hollow 2a until salinities rise.
Meanwhile, we are excited to announce the testing of a prototype instrument designed to deliver larvae directly to one of our sanctuary reefs (“direct setting”). Overcoming water pressure at the river’s bottom has been a challenge, but we’re working on fixes to achieve the necessary pressure without stressing the larvae. Low salinities are also impacting this project, which is anticipated to restore 13 million oysters, as we need salinities of around 10 ppt to maximize larvae settlement and survival. We are in regular communication with the oyster hatchery to ensure we get the larvae as soon as conditions meet the thresholds.
SRA Restoration Manager Ben Fertig and Intern Finn Mulvihill prepare to test the prototype instrument with coffee grounds as a proxy for oyster larvae
We appreciate your patience as we navigate these challenges and extend a big thank you to everyone involved including everyone that donated to the 2024 GreenGive fundraiser for our large-scale oyster planting on Traces Hollow 2a this year, as well as all our water quality monitoring volunteers for their crucial data collection that allows us to make informed decisions in support of restoring the Severn River. Thank you also to the Chesapeake Bay Trust and Chesapeake Oyster Alliance for a 2023 Oyster Innovation grant supporting the direct setting project! Stay tuned for updates on both the spat on shell planting and the larvae direct setting project – we are excited about both and hope you are too!
