Baltimore County is set to restore nearly half a mile of a stream near Catonsville Park this fall.
The work will repair erosion and help reduce pollutants and sediment entering the Patapsco River and Chesapeake Bay, according to Karen Ogle, stream restoration supervisor of the watershed restoration section for the county's Department of Environmental Protection & Sustainability.
Work will be done on about 2,340 feet of a stream traversing 90 acres.
The stream originates at three smaller channels — one at the end of Garnet Avenue, one at the end of Dunbar Avenue and the third behind the Giant grocery at North Rolling Road.
The stream's water quality has likely declined for 20 to 40 years, Ogle said, because of urban development creating increased runoff.
During storms, the stream becomes a flume for stormwater, Ogle said, causing the stream to deepen. It's a problem because the water can no longer access the flood plain, leaving water in a confined channel.
As that happens, the stream tries to recreate a flood plain within the confined space and the banks erode. As a result, stormwater can't reach the flood plain through the upper portion of the park, while pollutants, including nitrogen and phosphorous from runoff and sediment, wash through the site.
Grading work will be done to relieve stress on the banks, she said.
While there may be some disturbance during construction, Ogle believes the result will be more aesthetically pleasing. Eroded banks will be gone and native plants will be added.
"What you walk away with is an ecosystem that is way better than what currently exists," she said.
Construction is expected to begin in October. Stream work is expected to be completed by March 1.
Once that is done, the area will be replanted with native plants. The project is expected to be completed by May.
The county received a $1.55 million grant from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources Chesapeake Bay Trust Fund for the project.
Construction costs are estimated to be $1.36 million. Unspent funds will be returned to the state, Ogle said.