Before

Broad Creek Park, located in the headwaters of Broad Creek, has been a long-time strategic focus of the Arundel Rivers Federation for habitat enhancements, water quality improvements, and erosion/sediment reduction. The 2008 South River Watershed Assessment ranked Broad Creek as the second highest contributor of sediment and nutrient loads to the South River. The County’s Watershed Implementation Plan (WIP) lists restoration of incised streams, such as this project, as their “Core Tier 1” strategy for meeting goals. In partnership with Anne Arundel County’s Bureau of Watershed Protection and Restoration and with funding from the Chesapeake Bay Trust and Maryland Department of Natural Resources, Arundel Rivers lead three major restoration efforts within the park.

The first project, a Step Pool Stormwater Conveyance (SPSC) project was completed in 2018 and restored 1,000 linear feet of stream. The second project, also a SPSC, was completed in 2019 and restored an additional 750 linear feet of stream. The final phase focused on Floodplain Reconnection and wetland creation to spread the storm flows throughout the natural valley and enhance the wetland habitat within the park. This third project restored 3,962 linear feet and was completed in early 2023. The main objectives of this work was to restore the ecological function and hydrology of the streams and valley, enhance the habitat within and around the streams/wetlands, and reduce the amount of sediment and nutrient pollution that Broad Creek Park regularly washed into our waterways.

Impervious and Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) Credits

Impervious Surface Reductions (ISR): 296 acres

Total Nitrogen (TN): 573.7 lbs

Total Phosphorus (TP): 605.9 lbs

Total Suspended Solids (TSS): 1,372,289.2 lbs

After