St. Luke’s Restoration of Nature is the keystone component of a comprehensive urban watershed improvement effort in Annapolis. Increased development upstream led to amplified bank erosion in Back Creek and sediment loading in the cove. 

 

This extensive project includes 1,400 linear feet of stream creation, 320 linear feet of living shoreline, approximately 500 linear feet of bio-swale, 7 curb openings, and over 125,000 square feet of native plantings. Regenerative Design project features include upland surface water treatment along with longitudinal wetland, aquatic habitat, and stream creation, to manage water from a 26.8-acre drainage area.

 

The installation of high-quality subsurface soils connects upland infiltration practices to the lower valley project areas to help stabilize potential for baseflow year-round. The project incorporates large amounts of woody debris, as well as a high wood input into subsurface soils in order to allow the reach to become a sink for organic carbon and jump-start microbial activity soon after installation. The establishment of a riffle-pool structure provides a diversity of habitat suitable for macroinvertebrates, while areas of deeper water and a connected watercourse provide opportunity for fish passage.

 

Funding partners included St. Luke’s Church, the Chesapeake Bay Trust, and the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. Through our partnership with Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE), this project was ultimately used by MDE to pilot implementation of updated regulatory procedures. After construction was completed, we continued to work with the church on their goal of developing an educational campus.