Status: Completed. End Date: November 2021
The Churchill East Stream Valley has, over time, become the heaviest carrier of sediment to Lake Churchill. Previously, the Churchill Community Foundation board assisted in a small stream restoration project and bridge replacement (see past projects). In the Fall of 2016, the board did a lake and stream valley walk and noted that there was heavy erosion and bank degradation in the Churchill East Stream Valley. The board first checked on the status of a project, on which the Churchill East Village was working, to improve street runoff into the floodplain. After gaining an understanding of that project, the Churchill Community Foundation board approved funds for Charles P. Johnson & Associates (CPJ) to complete an analysis of the stream valley and prepare an assessment report and grant application. The Board agreed that this project will only be completed if a grant is received.
The assessment work was completed between January and March of 2017 and a report was written on the stream valley, including an updated geomorphic assessment, with all base mapping information required to prepare stream restoration plans and obtain permits. This video shows the issues with the stream during a storm in 2017.
In addition, a grant application was developed for the project and was sent out in March of 2017. Unfortunately, the Foundation did not receive the 2017 construction grant. In June of 2017, the Board funded an additional grant application for design funding and received an engineering and permit writing grant of $125,000. This grant has been used to continue designing the project and preparing permits. During late 2018 and early 2019, the Foundation Board agreed to the funding of all permits for the project.
In July 2019, the Churchill Community Foundation, in partnership with the Potomac Conservancy, won a Maryland Department of Natural Resources Chesapeake & Atlantic Coastal Bays Trust Fund Nonpoint Source Pollution Reduction grant. Since then the Board has worked with CPJ to receive the appropriate permits. In January 2020, Bourn Engineering was hired to do the construction work.
The project permits were approved in August 2020 and stream restoration work started in September 2020. The project is expected to last about 5 months (dependent on the weather) with the replanting of trees and shrubs at the appropriate time in Spring 2021. The work will include improvement of the stream banks, rechannneling the stream where necessary, building pools to slow down the flow, channeling outflows along one side of the stream valley so that the water enters the stream at one location, and various other improvements. Paving paid for by the Churchill East Village HOA will happen in the Fall of 2021. FINAL CONSTRUCTION PLAN
