BERLIN, Md. — A proposed stream restoration project in Berlin is focused on improving conditions along Hudson Branch, a waterway that feeds into Newport Bay.
The project would restore roughly 2,000 feet of the stream, stretching from Assateague Road to the town’s water utility plant, with the goal of improving conditions in the watershed that feeds into Newport Bay.
Fred Tindley of Berlin said the area has needed attention for years.
“It has been like that for a lot of years,” Tindley said. “It needs to be widened and debris and stuff that at the bottom of the ditch need to be cleaned out.”
J.R. Purnell says his grandmother, who lives near the stream, would like to see improvements.
"She feels like it definitely should be a change," Purnell said.
Roxie Dennis, also of Berlin, says public input is important as plans develop.
“We always want to know what the community feels about it and what they feel – do they feel this is a major issue, which I think it is, but it's always good to have the input from the community,” Dennis said.
Jessica McIntosh with the Maryland Coastal Bays Program says the effort is designed to address long-standing environmental challenges in the region.
“We know that the watershed is not healthy,” McIntosh said. “That's why we wanted to focus on it.”
McIntosh says increased development in the area has contributed to water quality issues over time.
“We've had an increased human population and activities in the watershed, and that leads to issues with increased impervious surface, which increases stormwater runoff, which brings more nutrients and sediment and pollution into the water that flows into the bay,” McIntosh told WBOC.
The project would include reshaping and widening portions of the stream to reconnect it with its natural floodplain, along with removing invasive vegetation and planting native species to help stabilize the area.
The Maryland Coastal Bays Program says permitting for the project could take six to eight months, with construction expected to begin in the winter if approved. Neighbors can still provide feedback online through the Town of Berlin’s website.
