Before

*Arundel Rivers was brought in by BWPR to lead construction of the Lake Marion restoration project.  We joined partners at Severn River Association and the Providences Civic Association to bring together the funding and partners to make this multi-million dollar park enhancement project happen. 

Once around 10 feet deep, Lake Marion was barely a foot deep when restoration began. After receiving stormwater for more than half a century, Lake Marion had filled with sediment and debris, reducing its stormwater treatment capacity to only a few inches.  The lake was sending polluted stormwater into a headwater tributary of the Severn River and eventually into the Chesapeake Bay. This overflow stormwater traveled down a concrete lined channel that increased the erosive nature of the storm flows and provided no habitat value. 

Around six to seven feet of accumulated sediment and debris from the bottom of the lake was excavated to restore the lake’s stormwater storage capacity and maximize habitat value. A wetland bench, or marsh ledge with native plants, now lines the perimeter of the lake to enhance the wetland and pollinator habitat throughout the site.  Additionally, the  concrete spillway, or outfall channel, that had once expedited stormflows to Severn Run was removed and transformed into a series of habitat pools that work to infiltrate stormwater further while also providing additional habitat.

Impervious and Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) Credits

Impervious Surface Reductions (ISR): 110.2 acres

Total Nitrogen (TN): 1,410.1 lbs

Total Phosphorus (TP): 178.7 lbs

Total Suspended Solids (TSS): 231,185.7 lbs

After