ANNAPOLIS, MD (December 12, 2001) – The Maryland Board of Public Works approved today a grant of $308,000 for Anne Arundel County to participate in a project aimed at restoring a stream channel near Elvaton Towne.

It is critical for Maryland officials to do all we can to protect and maintain the quality of water in the Chesapeake Bay and its many tributaries,” said Lt. Governor Kathleen Kennedy Townsend. “The funding approved today will enable Anne Arundel County to do its part in helping improve the quality of water flowing from an unnamed tributary to Marley Creek near Elvaton Towne.”

The project includes the design and construction of a stream restoration for an estimated 3,500-feet of eroding stream channel that is causing sediment deposition and nutrient loading in Marley Creek, a tributary of the Patapsco River.
Officials hope to use bioengineering techniques to stabilize the stream and improve its habitat while improving water quality and preventing further degradation of the stream.

The total cost of the project is $787,000 of which $399,000 is the local share being paid by the Anne Arundel County. The state has committed to funding another $80,000 toward fixing the stream in the future. The project is expected to get underway in June 2002 and will be completed by December of that year.

Usually chaired by Governor Parris N. Glendening, the Board of Public Works also is comprised of Comptroller William Donald Schaefer and Treasurer Richard N. Dixon. The Board is empowered by the General Assembly to approve major construction and consultant contracts, equipment purchases, property transactions and other procurement actions.

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