Camp Woodlands Stream Restoration

Broad Creek is our 2^nd most polluted creek on the South River after Church Creek. This gully that carries stormwater from Riva Road down a steep slope is a significant contributor to the muddy plumes that regularly exit Broad Creek and flow out into the South River after storm events.

The Federation has completed several different restoration projects on the Girl Scouts Camp Woodlands property over the last decade, including a variety of conservation plantings, a living shoreline, and a bioretention project. In 2016,  Arundel Rivers installed some step pools to slow and filter the stormwater in the upper portion of this gully.

We are grateful to AACo Bureau of Watershed Protection and Restoration for designing this approx. 1,350 linear feet stream restoration project.  It will address the failing culvert, headcuts, and stream bank erosion that are leading to the sedimentation of the downstream wetlands.

The project utilizes both Step Pool Storm Conveyance (SPSC) and valley restoration approaches. This restoration work will reduce pollutant loads into Broad Creek by approximately 291 lbs of nitrogen, 20 pounds of phosphorus, and 4.78 tons of sediment each year.

However, it the Girl Scouts that are owed most of the credit for helping bring this project to fruition. The local Camp Woodlands Girl Scout troop petitioned the National Girl Scouts Council for a bond that started the whole process!