Timbers at Troy Stream Restoration

Project Description

Howard County, Maryland sought to restore 1,600 linear feet of a tributary to the Patuxent River that had been heavily impacted by stormwater and had suffered significant erosion. The degraded tributary flowed through a public golf course, and the restoration needed to be designed and constructed in less than one year, before the start of golf season. With a goal to optimize riparian habitat and stream stability while minimizing impacts to the course layout, Biohabitats assessed, permitted, designed, and supervised the implementation of the project.

The restoration design included channel realignment and a riffle-pool morphology within the upper and lower reaches. In the upper reach, a flood prone bench vegetated with native, dense rooting perennial grasses, herbs, and low growing shrubs provided floodplain reconnection in the confined valley. Adjacent to the bench, a native riparian plant community, designed to be low-maintenance and compatible with the golf course, enhanced stability and habitat. In the lower reach, the stream invert was raised to maximize floodplain reconnection and return water back into natural depressions where it once existed. This extended restoration benefits across the stream valley and created valuable amphibian and fish-rearing habitat.

Deft project management, along with collaboration with local agencies and stakeholders, helped ensure that the project was completed successfully in less than three months.