ANNAPOLIS, MD (May 13, 1998) -- A stormwater management project and a stream restoration project that will improve Montgomery County streams and tributaries leading to the Anacostia River will receive financial assistance thanks to Board of Public Works approval of grants totaling $447,500.
"By repairing stream habitat, constructing a new stormwater management pond and improving a second pond, we will be able to reduce pollution and erosion in the Upper Paint Branch watershed," said Governor Parris N. Glendening. "These projects will improve the water quality of local streams, the Anacostia and Potomac rivers and ultimately, the Chesapeake Bay."
The two projects are:
Upper Paint Branch Stormwater Management Project: $375,000 to construct a new stormwater management pond, improve a second, and create a shallow marsh that will reduce pollution and enhance wildlife habitat in Montgomery County. The County will contribute $254,000. Construction is expected to begin in December 1998 and be complete in July 1999.
Upper Paint Branch Stream Restoration Project: $72,500 in matching funds to repair streambank erosion, remove fish barriers and use other corrective techniques that will reduce habitat degradation and erosion. The project will support reproducing brown trout populations. Construction is expected to begin in December 1998 and be complete in July 1999.
"We are pleased that the State will be a cost-sharing partner in these important projects," said Montgomery County Executive Douglas M. Duncan. "This financial assistance supports the targeted approach to watershed protection that Montgomery County is implementing with other agencies and volunteers through our County-wide Stream Protection Strategy."
Chaired by Governor Glendening, the Board of Public Works also is comprised of Comptroller Louis L. Goldstein and Treasurer Richard N. Dixon. The Board is empowered by the General Assembly to approve construction and consultant contracts, equipment purchases, property transactions and other procurement actions.
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