BERLIN – The local Maryland Coastal Bays Program this week learned it will be receiving grant funding from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources for two significant climate resiliency projects in Worcester County.
The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) announced on Wednesday the award of over $2 million in grants to 12 climate resiliency projects around the state. The Maryland Coastal Bays Program (MCBP) applied for and will receive grant funding through the program for two of the 12 total projects awarded around the state – one in the north end near Ocean Pines, and one in the south end near Stockton.
The projects on the approved list for grant funding for the design and permitting phase will help communities prepare for and recover from climate-related impacts. The competitive grants are designed to help coastal communities plan and design solutions to withstand flooding and weather-related events.
For the MCBP in Worcester County, grant funding is being made available for two projects which qualify in terms of the intent. One is the restoration of Jenkins Point near Ocean Pines and other waterfront communities in the area of the Route 90 bridge, which has deteriorated in recent years. MCBP’s Steve Farr explained the intent of the project this week.
“It’s just south of the Route 90 bridge,” he said. “It’s a historic peninsula which has now basically become just two very small islands because of erosion and climate change. The plan is to restore the peninsula and protect the shoreline in Ocean Pines from storm erosion. It’s a pretty historic area that needs preserving.”
The Jenkins Point restoration project seeks to enhance resiliency for the Ocean Pines and Osprey Point residential communities and adjacent recreational and community facilities. The concept is to design and plan for the natural and nature-based infrastructure of Jenkins Point to strengthen the natural infrastructure to protect those shoreline communities from the adverse impacts of climate change, including the frequency and intensity of coastal storms.
Once an unbroken peninsula, Jenkins Point is now a fragmented peninsula including two small islands. Once it is restored to its original state, Jenkins Point has the potential to protect substantial residential properties and community infrastructure in those areas filled with residential development and recreational amenities.
Farr said the grant received this week will help cover the design and permitting phase of the project, and construction will begin when additional funding becomes available. He acknowledged the Ocean Pines Association (OPA) has contributed $10,000 to the project.
The second project for which funding was approved this week is on the south end of Worcester County at Swans Gut Creek at Big Millpond near Stockton.
That project essentially has two goals aimed at preservation and conservation.
The project includes opening a five-mile section of Swans Gut for freshwater spawning habitat for anadromous fish species that has been unavailable. Anadromous fish are predominantly saltwater species that come into freshwater streams and creeks to spawn.
The intent of the project is to open a fish passageway through the Swans Gut currently blocked for spawning fish of various species by the Big Millpond Dam near Stockton in the south end of the county. There is a highly successful precedent with a similar project completed a few years ago in Bishopville, which has achieved the desired goals for the most part.
The second goal of the Swans Gut tidal fish recovery project at Big Millpond is to protect the transportation infrastructure, including the road and bridge, during significant storm events.
Farr said the roadway and bridge over Big Millpond have deteriorated over the many years and have become impassable at different times over the years.
Because of their advanced age, millpond dams are subject to breaching, causing road damage and cutting off transportation routes. For example, the road and bridge over Big Millpond were washed away during a storm in October 2016 when a large portion of dislodged marsh became lodged in the box culvert under the bridge. The obstruction caused the water to rise, which then undercut the roadway during a heavy rain event.
“The second goal of this project is to protect the transportation infrastructure,” Farr said. “When the roadway and bridge at Big Millpond were washed away in the storm in 2016, they were closed for months before being repaired.”
The grant received this week from the state will help achieve the two stated goals for the project.
The project is also receiving a $225,000 grant from Restore America’s Estuaries program, and the MCBP is also applying for an additional $900,000 from the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) through the recently passed bipartisan infrastructure law funding.
