Ecological Restoration Enhances Water Quality in Chesapeake Bay - Ecotone's Stream Restoration Techniques Improve Habitat & Reduce Restoration Costs in Baltimore County

Baltimore, MD, January 05, 2018 --(PR.com)-- Ecotone, an ecological restoration firm, recently developed over one acre of wetlands and restored 2,160 linear feet of stream that runs through the 200-acre First Mine Run property located in the northeastern part of Baltimore County in Maryland. The Maryland’s Department of Natural Resources (DNR) funded the project through the Chesapeake and Atlantic Coastal Bays Trust Fund.

A large portion of First Mine Branch, a natural trout stream, had become highly entrenched, with sections of stream banks reaching six feet in height. As a result, streambank erosion exceeded natural conditions, and large amounts of sediment and nutrients were being exported downstream. Such conditions eliminated any possibility of the stream connecting with its floodplain and led to additional negative impacts on the water quality flowing to Lock Raven Reservoir and the Chesapeake Bay.

As part of their sustainable approach to restoration, the Ecotone’s team constrained itself to using natural materials obtained on-site and minimized the use of imported materials. This helped substantially curtail transportation costs while increasing the project’s sustainability through native species and legacy sediment gravel. Ecotone utilized a state-of-the-art gravel screener to sift riffle material and used sod, which the company prepped and planted in an adjacent field a year before the start of the project, rather than coir matting that typically is imported from outside the United States.

"By implementing our 'less is more' approach to stream restoration we reduced project costs, minimized our carbon footprint, and kept heavy equipment off local roadways," said Scott McGill, founder and CEO of Ecotone. "We think this project could serve as a model for sustainable ecological restoration. Not only did we complete the project at half the cost of traditional engineering approaches, but we helped improve the water quality in the Chesapeake Bay watershed.”

“The stream has been running clearer than at any time in recent memory and the aquatic life has increased noticeably,” said Henry Pitts, Property Manager of First Mine Run. “I would highly recommend ecological restoration to other landowners as it will enhance property values, decrease flooding and storm damage, provide increased wildlife habitat and insure horticultural diversity for many years to come.”

Founded in 1998, Ecotone is a Harford County, MD based ecological restoration firm that designs and builds sustainable ecosystems to reduce erosion of stream banks, manage stormwater, conserve and restore wetlands, and restore forests. Ecotone provides full-delivery ecosystem restoration, mitigation, design, construction, and consulting solutions throughout the United States. During the company’s 20 years of experience, Ecotone has restored over 1,200 acres of land and over 130,000 linear feet of stream using sustainable restoration techniques. To learn more, please visit www.ecotoneinc.com.