Stormwater Retrofitting and Habitat Restoration in Spa Creek
Spa Creek Conservancy (SCC) will begin construction of the Hawkins Cove Stream Restoration project in January 2018, located on Annapolis property located adjacent to the Housing Authority of the City of Annapolis. The project is funded by the Chesapeake Bay Trust Watershed Assistance Grant and the State’s Chesapeake and Atlantic Coastal Bays Trust Fund.
The primary goal of the project is to restore the degraded stream that flows into Hawkins Cove, a tributary to Spa Creek. In its existing condition, the stream and its tributary are experiencing widespread bank erosion, resulting in significant sedimentation and pollution into Hawkins Cove, degrading water quality.
Once built, the project will restore approximately 1,670 linear feet of stream channel and adjacent floodplain areas. The limited construction area will result in the preservation of most of the trees within the forested floodplain area, and new trees will be planted to offset any tree loss within the project area.
A second phase of the project was the installation of stormwater runoff best management practices (rain gardens) at five sites which are major sources of the runoff entering the eroded streambed ravine. The sites are in the Hope Rising community on Hilltop Lane and Spa Creek Landing off Cove Road.
The restoration will greatly reduce the amount of nitrogen, phosphorus, and sediment entering Spa Creek. This part of the project has been completed!
Spa Creek Conservancy has received all needed permits for the project. There will be a survey crew staking out the project in January 2018 with construction beginning soon afterward.
During the construction, large trucks will be driving through the following neighborhoods as they enter and leave the construction site. Construction traffic will access the project site from Hilltop Lane via President Street, then Madison Street, then Windsor Avenue by the sewage pumping station.
Our construction contractor, Meadville Land Services, will work between the hours of 8:00 AM to dusk, Monday through Friday. We will continue to keep you informed.