The watershed restoration program goal is to protect, enhance and restore the water resources of Baltimore County. The program structure is based on the County’s fourteen (14) major watersheds in order to provide a comprehensive framework of protection and restoration of the County’s natural resources. Projects are prioritized in part based on opportunities identified in watershed management plans. Project funding is supported primarily by County General Obligation Bonds and supplemented by State funds from the Maryland Departments of the Environment and Natural Resources through the Storm Water Pollution Control, Small Creeks and Estuaries, and Waterway Improvement cost-share programs. The program includes the following types of restoration projects:  | After restoration |
Shoreline enhancement projects restore eroded shorelines and enhance tidal ecosystems and habitat. Projects include breakwaters, groins, stone revetment, beach and tidal marsh creation, and other non-structural measures to prevent shoreline erosion and degradation. Baltimore County collects submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) data for all creeks that are dredged. Submerged aquatic vegetation is considered a key indicator of the general health of a waterway.  |  | Before Restoration | After Restoration |
Stream restoration projects restore and stabilize highly degraded urban stream channels and enhance riparian ecosystems. The stream restoration projects utilize state-of-the-art techniques based on applied fluvial morphological principles and engineering hydraulics to restore and provide natural stream functions. Stormwater retrofit projects involve the installation of new stormwater best management practices (BMPs) facilities in communities developed prior to stormwater management requirements. Best management practices include stormwater ponds, wetland and marsh creation, water quality devices, storm drain outfall protection, and stream channel improvements. Waterway dredging projects restore historical access to tidal waterways. The projects include providing a channel in the center of a creek as well as individual spur channels connecting piers to the main channels. Revised May 14, 2009 | 
Courthouse 