Arundel on the Bay LID & Living Shoreline

A waterfront community protects its coastal ecology through regenerative stormwater conveyance.

Residents of Arundel-on-the-Bay, a community located on a peninsula bounded by the Chesapeake Bay and Fishing Creek, share a commitment to protecting the natural, coastal environment. After partnering with the South River Federation to assess drainage and flooding issues in 2010, the community identified a 40-acre area with a series of roadside drainage ditches as a top priority. During small storms, water would slip through the ditches and drain into Fishing Creek, untreated. During large storms, the ditches would become overwhelmed with stormwater volume and localized flooding would occur.

To address the top priority site, Biohabitats applied a regenerative stormwater conveyance approach to design, permit, and supervise the construction of two roadside swale retrofits to improve water conveyance, reduce localized flooding, and enhance water quality. Biohabitats collaborated with the community to convert the ditches into relatively flat swales with a repeated series of riffle grade controls and pools. A portion of road surface was removed to create a wider flow path, and underlying soil was replaced with a bioretention mix to facilitate water quality improvements during frequently occurring storms of low volume.

One swale was integrated into living shoreline, which improved the biological function of the Low Impact Development facility. The other was integrated into a community park, taking advantage of the park property during the infrequent large storm events for temporary floodwater storage.

TAGS

• Analysis+Planning
• Assessment+Monitoring
• Design
• Ecological Restoration