Arundel Rivers Federation is thrilled to announce that we have received grant funding through the Chesapeake Bay Trust Watershed Assistance Grant Program (WAGP) to advance three vital restoration projects aimed at creating habitat, making communities more resilient, and filtering polluted rainwater before entering our rivers. WAGP is a program that provides support for watershed restoration project designs, permitting, watershed planning, and programmatic development. The projects, all in the South River Watershed—Pine Whiff Living Shoreline, Cassia Drive Stream Restoration, and Sunny Shores Stream Restoration—will help to address critical issues in each of these communities.
Pine Whiff Living Shoreline
In partnership with the Pine Whiff community, we will design and permit a 250-foot living shoreline to combat severe erosion, which is currently averaging 3.23 feet per year. This project will replace a failing bulkhead to make the shoreline more resilient while also creating valuable marsh habitat. By preserving community green space and water access, this project will help to strengthen shoreline resiliency against rising tides while also protecting community access to the river.
Cassia Drive Stream Restoration
We are excited to move forward with a 450-foot stream restoration project in the Gingerville community, addressing severe erosion that has been depositing sediment into the well-established Wilelinor wetland and stream system. By stabilizing the stream channel and planting a native buffer, this project will protect downstream habitats and help to improve water quality in the South River. This funding allows us to begin the crucial work of surveying, designing, and permitting a long-term solution for this eroding stream.
Sunny Shores Stream Restoration
In partnership with the Sunny Shores community, this grant will fund the design and permitting of a 1,900-foot stream restoration project to stabilize a rapidly eroding channel that has been depositing sediment into the South River and threatening community infrastructure. This project will implement approaches such as pocket wetlands, stream buffer restoration, and improved floodplain connectivity which will slow polluted rainwater, allowing it to filter excess nutrients before entering the South River.
We look forward to working closely with these communities, partners, and stakeholders, and we would like to share a thank you to the Chesapeake Bay Trust, a longtime partner, for making these projects possible. Stay tuned for updates as we work to bring these projects to life!