Hudson Branch Stream Restoration

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Hudson Branch Stream Restoration

The Town of Berlin, in partnership with Maryland Coastal Bays Program (MCBP) and Grow Berlin Green (itself a partnership of Assateague Coastal Trust, Lower Shore Land Trust and MCBP) is in the midst of a multifaceted stream restoration project on a section of Hudson Branch stream in East Berlin to address stormwater management issues and revitalize a natural community resource.

One of the main streams channeling water from Berlin to Newport Bay, Hudson Branch flows through the heart of East Berlin, the predominantly minority populated section of the community. The stream has become not only a source of flooding and a conveyance for polluted stormwater runoff, but has also become a repository for significant litter from neighboring properties.

Addressing the littering issue first, the Town has undertaken several community cleanup events resulting in the removal of more than 37,000 pounds of trash from the stream bed. Following some community outreach, the Town then constructed a footbridge across a heavily travelled section of the stream to deter future littering and encourage appreciation of the stream as a natural resource.

The Town and MCBP are now in the planning stages of a major stormwater management and neighborhood beautification initiative that will employ Regenerative Stormwater Conveyance (RSC) techniques and wetlands restoration to create a naturally landscaped stream site that will slow the velocity of storm runoff to reduce erosion and facilitate water filtration and infiltration. Seed money for this effort has been provided by Maryland DNR.

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