Ecological Restoration Monitoring for Howard County, MD

Post-construction monitoring of stream restoration projects helps ensure that both goals and permit conditions are met.

Having designed the restoration of four Howard County streams that flow to the Patapsco River, a major tributary of the Chesapeake Bay, Biohabitats conducted post-construction monitoring to ensure that they were meeting the standards required by Maryland Department of the Environment and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers permits.

The restoration projects were undertaken to restore channel stability and help the County meet its Ms4 and TMDL goals.

Biohabitats provided five years of annual monitoring on a tributary in Dorsey Hall Village; three years of annual monitoring on Bonnie Branch; and five years of biennial monitoring along Davis and Rockburn Branch. In total, Biohabitats monitored approximately 6,200 linear feet of stream.

At each site, Biohabitats surveyed native and non-native vegetation, used drone aerial to document the amount of forest canopy established post-construction and overall stream condition, conducted a habitat assessment using the EPA’s Rapid Bioassessment Protocol, and visually inspected and photo documented the entire restoration area under baseflow conditions and after a significant storm event.

For the Bonnie , Davis and Rockburn Branch projects, Biohabitats surveyed representative cross-sections and longitudinal profiles to document vertical channel stability and evaluates bank height ratio to determine floodplain connectivity. At Davis and Rockburn Branches, Biohabitats conducted Bank Erosion Hazard Index (BEHI) to document lateral stability. For each project, Biohabitats prepared reports documenting overall project success, vegetation species composition, vegetation viability, non-native invasive species presence, problem areas, and proposed remediation measures, when necessary. To date, invasive species control at all sites has been the only recommended remedial action.