BALTIMORE, MD—Maryland’s Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has announced five watershed projects that will be part of the state’s Whole Watershed Act pilot program. The five-year program will implement restoration projects in the Antietam Creek in Washington County, the Baltimore Harbor, Newport Bay in Worcester County, the Severn River near Annapolis, and the Upper Choptank River on the Eastern Shore.

The projects were selected based on proposals that demonstrated strong community and local government support, and addressed non-point source pollution. A variety of restoration techniques will be used, including planting trees on farms, shoreline protection, and restoring underwater grasses and oyster beds. The Whole Watershed Act, passed in the 2024 General Assembly, is a direct response to the 2023 Comprehensive Evaluation of System Response (CESR) report, which recommended targeting restoration in key watersheds to accelerate water quality, habitat, and living resource benefits, particularly in shallow water areas like creeks and streams. The program will provide technical assistance, funding, and a coordinated permitting process to help implement the projects.

However, the state’s $3 billion budget deficit currently jeopardizes program funding. The Department of Legislative Services recommended cutting environmental programs for four years, potentially halting the Act and Chesapeake Bay restoration projects.

Allison Colden, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s Maryland Executive Director, urged the Maryland General Assembly to resist environmental budget cuts to implement the Whole Watershed Act. “Accelerating the pace of restoration in a data-driven way that achieves multiple outcomes — from climate mitigation, improved air and water quality, to vibrant fisheries — is key to Maryland achieving its Bay restoration, climate, and economic goals,” Colden said.

This article was written with the assistance of AI and reviewed by a human editor.

Photo by Jonathan Borba from Pexels

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