Introduction

This site is a half acre emergent wetland creation located in the North Branch Potomac River Area – Evitts Creek (02-14-10-02) watershed of Allegany County.           

Construction

In Spring 2004, the Maryland Department of the Environment, in conjunction with the Allegany Soil Conservation District and the landowner converted disturbed land, historically used to harvest topsoil, into five wetland cells.             

Surveying during construction

During construction

During construction

Outlet

Status

In 2007, MDE conducted intensive site monitoring which included installing IRIS tubes, evaluating the soil, monitoring hydrology multiple times during the spring growing season, monitoring transects, and scoring the site.  The installed IRIS tubes and the hydrological observations found sufficient hydrology to satisfy the wetland hydrology requirement.  During the multiple spring growing season site visits, the soils were either saturated or inundated.  Soils are hydric.  Vegetation is dominated by a diverse mix of herbaceous wetland species.  The conclusions from the observational transects also found that the site was a wetland.  Using the newly developed Mitigation Site Scoring Method, MDE gave this site the high score of 93/100.  This site provides many valuable wetland functions, including filtering sediment/pollutants, discharging groundwater, providing headwater flood flow attenuation, and providing recreational opportunities and habitat.  This wetland is on private property.   

Wetland Mitigation Site - 2007