J.A. Veil
12-03-2009, 04:57 PM
I live in the Carriage Hills comunity off of Generals Hwy (near Rams Head Roadhouse). Although our community does not have any waterfront, we do have steep, hilly terrain that feeds into the headwaters of several Severn River creeks. The main storm drain for our neighborhood creates a tributary to Clements Creek. Apparently the storm drain outlet was improperly designed when the community was started 25-30 years ago. Over the first few years, gushing stormwater created a deep canyon and carried sediment far downstream. The canyon deepened and widened over the years. A retrofit of the storm drain outlet about 10 years ago by AA County did little to stop the erosion.
Two years ago, we were approached by one of the leaders of the General's Hwy Council of Civic Associations to see if we would be supportive of seeking funds to have an outside contractor come in and restore the canyon. We tentatively agreed, but never figured funds would be found.
Last year's horrible economic conditions led to huge amounts of stimulus funding coming available for "shovel-ready" projects. Activists from the Severn Riverkeeper successfully obtained funds for the restoration project. They worked with several homeowners in my neighborhood to secure easement access to the storm drain headworks and the start of the canyon.
Today we received a letter from the community board advising us that the project would begin on Dec 7. The plan is to bring dozens of dump truck loads of sand into the canyon and create a series of terraces stepping down the slope at about 1-2 foot elevation intervals. These would be planted with aquatic and wetlands plants to create small habitats. This approach should greatly reduce the high-volume pulses of stormwater that cause most of the erosion.
While the SRRKC is not an environmental organization per se, I think that most SRRKC members are concerned about protecting and improving the Severn watershed. The hill at the bottom of my backyard continues down and abuts the lower end of the canyon. If any of you want to come and observe the construction process, let me know. According to the note we received today, the project will take about 8 weeks, with work being done during daylight hours Mon - Sat.
Two years ago, we were approached by one of the leaders of the General's Hwy Council of Civic Associations to see if we would be supportive of seeking funds to have an outside contractor come in and restore the canyon. We tentatively agreed, but never figured funds would be found.
Last year's horrible economic conditions led to huge amounts of stimulus funding coming available for "shovel-ready" projects. Activists from the Severn Riverkeeper successfully obtained funds for the restoration project. They worked with several homeowners in my neighborhood to secure easement access to the storm drain headworks and the start of the canyon.
Today we received a letter from the community board advising us that the project would begin on Dec 7. The plan is to bring dozens of dump truck loads of sand into the canyon and create a series of terraces stepping down the slope at about 1-2 foot elevation intervals. These would be planted with aquatic and wetlands plants to create small habitats. This approach should greatly reduce the high-volume pulses of stormwater that cause most of the erosion.
While the SRRKC is not an environmental organization per se, I think that most SRRKC members are concerned about protecting and improving the Severn watershed. The hill at the bottom of my backyard continues down and abuts the lower end of the canyon. If any of you want to come and observe the construction process, let me know. According to the note we received today, the project will take about 8 weeks, with work being done during daylight hours Mon - Sat.