Corsica River 6-Year Progress Report (2012)

Exactly as extracted, unformatted — for checking against the original. The readable version is easier to read.

Photo courtesy of Cal Gray III
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The Corsica River Initiative is nationally recognized for its
Watershed Plan and restoration effort that continues to
receive attention for its outstanding contributions in
research, monitoring and implementation.

Corsica Targeted Watershed Initiative Funded in part by
US EPA & NOAA’s Coastal Zone Management
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The Corsica River is a tidal tributary on Maryland’s Eastern Shore that slowly winds through the
farmland and forests of rural Queen Anne’s County and the Town of Centreville; it then enters the
Chester River and into the Chesapeake Bay, one of the largest estuaries in the world. The Corsica
River watershed is 25,299 acres, with agriculture being the largest land use (60%). The second largest
land use in the watershed are forested areas (25%), which mainly account for private woodland lots
and buffers. Approximately 5%
of the watershed is impervious,
which accounts for streets, build-
ings (homes, businesses, etc.) and
other hard surfaces.
Land Use in the
Corsica River
Watershed
Agricultu
re 60.4% Forest
25.4%
Water Residenti
Non-
0.4% al 10.4%
Wetlands Residenti
0.3% al Urban
3.10% Figure 2: Old Mill Stream
Figure 1: Land Use
The Corsica River and its water-
shed are strikingly beautiful. The
Corsica watershed character is
influenced by the rural nature of
the area – fishing the river and
streams, hunting deer and water-
fowl, boating and kayaking. Un-
fortunately, like many tributaries
of the Chesapeake Bay, the
river’s water quality is considered
degraded and does not meet im-
Figure 3: State of Maryland—Corsica Watershed
portant water quality standards.
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The Federal Clean Water Act (CWA) requires that each State assess, monitor, and protect water qual-
ity for all rivers and streams. If a waterbody does not meet water quality standards set for that system,
then it must be listed as ‘impaired’ for the pollutant causing the impairment. The Total Maximum
Daily Load (TMDL) is the assimilative capacity of a water body to remain ‘healthy’ with a certain
maximum amount of pollutants.
• The Corsica River was listed as impaired in 1996 due to the presence of excessive sedimenta-
tion, nutrients, fecal coliform (bacteria), and substantial negative impacts to biological
communities.
• The State of Maryland developed a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) for nutrients in the
Corsica River in 2000, bacteria in 2005, and Polychlorinated Biphenyl (PCBs) in 2011.
• Based on the Nutrient TMDL, the nonpoint source annual load allocation for the Corsica
Watershed is 268,211 lbs/year of nitrogen and 19,380 lbs/year of phosphorus.
• The Corsica River is a Designated Use II water body, which means that it must be able to
support the basic “swimmable-fishable” goals of the Clean Water Act as well as shellfish har-
vesting.
• The water quality impairments stated above have not been delisted as of June 2012
Due to the impairments listed by the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE), the Town of
Centreville applied for and received funding and technical assistance to develop a Watershed Resto-
ration Action Strategy (WRAS). The Corsica River WRAS is a comprehensive plan that the Town
of Centreville developed in 2005 in cooperation with key local partners (Queen Anne’s Soil Conserva-
tion District, Queen Anne’s County and the Chester River Association) and with support and coop-
eration from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and MDE. In September of
2005, Governor Robert Ehrlich proclaimed the Corsica River as the State’s targeted restoration water-
shed. Following this announcement many local citizen volunteers formed the non-profit organization
called the Corsica River Conservancy (CRC). The CRC has grown to more than 600 members in a water-
shed of approximately 1,200 households.
The WRAS Plan has been the road map to help guide the restoration and protection activities to date.
The Corsica Implementation Committee (CIC), which formed as an outcome of the planning process,
is made up of stakeholders from state and local government agencies and local concerned citizens.
The CIC currently works together to track the progress of the Corsica initiative, understand the prob-
lems facing the watershed, and develop solutions to address water quality problems in the Corsica
watershed.
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Restoring the Corsica River is vital to its recovery and equally important is conserving and protecting
areas within the watershed. Once healthy components of watersheds are identified, a variety of con-
servation and protection approaches are available. Protection efforts in the watershed include a
variety of easements, open space, and
rural legacy land programs, which are
Conservation Lands in the Corsica Watershed
currently protecting approximately
MALPF Easement (POS)
5,852 acres (more than 20%) of the
Program Open Space (Non-Contiguous)
land in the watershed. The Maryland Deed Restricted Program Open Space (POS)
Agriculture Land Preservation Founda- County Park
Private Conservation Easement
tion (MALPF) and the Rural Legacy
Transfer of Development Rights (TDR)
Program are programs specifically tai-
Maryland Environment Trust (MET)
lored to agriculture and farm land pro- Rural Legacy Easement
MALPF Easement
tection. Program Open Space (POS) is a
unique program in Maryland that pro-
TOTAL 5,822
vides funding to counties and munici-
0 500 1,000 1,500 2,000 2,500
palities for parks, ball fields, play-
grounds, and a variety of other open Figure 4: Conservation Lands in the Corsica Watershed
space land preservation opportunities.
Transfer of Development Rights (TDR) is a type of land protection program that some counties cur-
rently adopt that provide incentives for developers to build in existing areas with infrastructure, and
save open space or farm land in return for increased development or density.
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The Corsica River Targeted Watershed initiative has been an on-going endeavor with federal, state,
and local agencies, conservation organizations, universities, research institutions and local watershed
groups. This effort involves outreach to
the community, monitoring, research,
and implementation of water quality and
habitat enhancement projects. The resto-
ration activities in the Corsica watershed
have been substantial on farm land, sub-
urban residential areas, and in the Town
of Centreville by utilizing Best Manage-
ment Practices (BMPs) and educating
citizens on the importance of water qual-
ity, nutrient management, and natural
resources. The figures 5 and 6 illustrate
both progress to date and dollars spent
Figure 5: Percent Complete
by major source sector.
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Significant changes to water quality at a
basin/watershed scale can take many
years to show improvements due to
groundwater transport lag time, geo-
chemical processes, and other factors.
The Corsica River may be starting to re-
spond to the efforts that have been un-
derway since 2005, with approximately
700 water quality and habitat projects
completed.
Concentrations of both nitrogen and
phosphorous have shown decreasing
Figure 6: Cost per Source Sector
trends in the non-tidal portion of the
Funding Sources: EPA/MDE 319 Program, MD DNR, QA Soil
Corsica Watershed at Three Bridges
Conservation District, Maryland Department of Agriculture, Bay
Branch and Gravel Run over the last Restoration Fund, Chesapeake and Atlantic Coastal Bays 2010
five years. No nutrient trends have Trust Fund, Town of Centreville, Queen Anne’s County, Chesa-
been observed in Old Mill Stream at peake Bay Trust, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, Corsica
this time.
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Agriculture makes up more than half of the land use in the Corsica water-
shed, and is vital to the local economy and to maintaining the heritage and
rural character of the Eastern Shore. The main crops planted in the Cor-
sica watershed include corn, soybeans, and wheat. Vegetables are grown for
farmers markets in the area. The watershed also has numerous equine and
two poultry operations. The agriculture community has been investing sig-
nificant time and effort toward protecting water quality, which should en-
sure a sustainable agriculture presence in the Corsica watershed.
BMPs utilized in the Corsica watershed by the agricultural community include: cover crops, forested
and grassed buffers, manure storage, and
nutrient management plans. There are Total Cover Crop and Small Grain (Acre)
several programs at the state and federal 6,000
level, administered by the Queen Anne
5,000
County Soil Conservation District, to
provide funding for a variety of practices 4,000
including the Wildlife Habitat Incentive 3,000
Program (WHIP), Conservation Reserve
2,000
Enhancement Program (CREP), Envi-
1,000
ronmental Quality Incentives Program
(EQIP), Maryland Agricultural Cost 0
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011
Share program (MACS), and the Wood-
Year
land Incentive Program (WIP) which is
Figure 7: Cover Crops planted in the Corsica Watershed per year
coordinated by DNR Forestry Service.
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Stormwater is a significant problem for water quality and clarity when there is a high level of sedimen-
tation and other pollutants. There are many effective ways to treat and prevent stormwater from en-
tering our rivers and streams; one of the most effective of these practices is forested buffers, which
protect waterways by intercepting sediments and nutrients, stabilizing stream banks, increasing and
improving local biodiversity, and maintaining cooler stream water temperatures. The Corsica River
watershed currently contains approximately 5000 acres of forested riparian buffers.
Stormwater wetland ponds and
bio-retention practices (also
known as Low Impact Develop-
ment (LID), or Environmental
Site Design) are common types
of stormwater BMPs imple-
mented in the Corsica. These
new or retrofitted retention areas
capture and hold excess storm-
water during rain/snow events
and prevent high flow into
nearby streams and rivers, Stormwater Drain
thereby reducing nutrient runoff,
bank erosion, and heavy sedi-
mentation. Infiltration practices
can greatly improve ground wa-
ter levels, reduce flooding, and
are generally cheaper to install
than traditional stormwater prac-
tices.
The Town of Centreville has
installed many stormwater
Rain Garden
retrofits and now treats an ad-
ditional 112 acres of run off.
The Town also has a street
sweeping program. In addi-
tion, 308 rain gardens have
been installed by CRC. Queen
Anne’s County Department of
Public Works has introduced
permeable concrete and as-
phalt. Permeable pavement al-
lows some water to penetrate
parking lot surfaces rather than
Street Sweeper
rush into storm drains.
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There is one wastewater treatment plant in the Corsica watershed on Gravel Run, a tributary to the
Corsica River. This plant was upgraded to Biological Nutrient Removal (BNR) in 2010. The
WWTP current capacity is 542,000 gallons/day. The new system greatly reduces the amount of nutrients exiting
the plant through treated water: nitrogen to approximately 5-7 mg/liter and phosphorus to 0.3 mg/liter. This should
reduced algae blooms and dead zones along Gravel Run and the Corsica main stem. The use of spray
irrigation onto farm land for eight months of the year has significantly reduced nutrient outputs from
the plant as well. Upgrades to the Centerville wastewater treatment have reduced nitrogen and
phosphorus pollution to the river by 50,770 lbs/year and 4,260 lbs/year.
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Best Available Technology (BAT) retrofits to septic systems reduce nitrogen output by 50 percent on
average. The Maryland Department of the Environment gives counties in Maryland funding to install
retrofit septic systems from the State’s Bay Restoration Fund. The majority of State funding to date is
used for septic systems in the Chesapeake Bay Critical Area, as well as for failing septic systems else-
where. In the Corsica watershed, sixteen (16) de-nitrifying septic system retrofits have been in-
stalled – more than half way to the 30 retrofit goal set for the watershed. In the future, all new
homes needing on-site systems may be required to install BAT.
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Oysters are an important component of
restoration because of their water filtering
capacity. A single adult oyster can filter up
to 50 gallons of water a day. Because of
the Corsica’s depth and physical character-
istics, small improvements in water clarity
can lead to larger increases in habitat resto-
ration and overall water quality. The Oys-
ter Recovery Partnership (ORP) is working
to restore original oyster bars and popula-
tions in rivers all over Maryland. This part-
nership has provided research and fund-
ing to help replenish 10 acres of oysters
in the Corsica River. The CRC also has an active restoration program, currently in its fourth year,
which helps residents grow oysters for reef replenishment through the State’s Maryland Grows Oys-
ters (MGO) program at Department of Natural Resources.
The Department of Natural Resources designated the entire Corsica River as an Oyster Sanc-
tuary in 2010, which states that the entire river is closed to shellfish harvesting. This should have a
positive effect on restoring oyster populations to near historic levels, if water conditions and other
factors can support the native oysters.
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Project Highlight
As part of the Town of Centreville's stormwater management effort
to reduce stormwater runoff and to meet the goals of the Corsica
River Watershed Restoration Strategy, the Town made outfall im-
provements to the existing 24" storm drain outfall located at the Cen-
treville Waste Water Treatment Plant. The existing storm drain sys-
tem consisted of a concrete headwall that was severely damaged which
resulted in erosion at the outfall and receiving channel. The project
removed and disposed of the damaged concrete headwall and broken
24" concrete pipe, re-graded the slopes at the outfall, and installed
three vegetated plunge pools in a stepped fashion constructed with large
sandstone boulders and smaller silica cobbles.
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There are several tributaries in the Corsica River, including Three Bridges Branch, Gravel Run, Old
Mill Stream, Emory Creek, Alder Branch and Earle Creek which all empty into the river proper. The
DNR Maryland Biological Stream Survey (MBSS) has monitored 22 sites overall in the river for ben-
thic macro invertebrates (stream bugs), physical conditions, and fish populations to help determine
overall stream health. Their findings show that from 2006 to 2011, the majority of sites in the water-
shed had no change in their biological condition. This would suggest that habitat and water quality
conditions have not changed at these sites during that same time pe-
riod. The analysis of Indicator of Biotic Integrity (IBI) scores in the
Corsica River watershed indicate that higher scores are associated
with sites that have greater habitat diversity. Most sites within the
sub-watershed areas have an average of good to fair condi-
tions. Research has shown fish and benthic community diversity to
be closely linked with habitat conditions; these include intact riparian
forest buffers, low sedimentation, and stream temperature. There is
stream restoration potential in the watershed, and specific opportuni-
ties are being considered. The dwarf wedge mussel, which is a State
Endangered Dwarf Wedgemussel Photo by: and Federally listed endangered species, is found in some of the up-
Susi von Oettingen/USFWS
per tributaries of the Corsica River.
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Forests occupy over 25% of the land within the
watershed, with approximately 75% being privately
owned. Forest Stewardship Plans have been pre-
pared within the past six years covering 702 acres.
Since 2007 approximately five Timber Harvest
Plans have been written for 152 acres. The healthi-
est rivers and streams are usually found in highly
forested areas. Forests, wetlands, and living shore-
lines help protect water quality, host an abundance
of living habitat, and buffer the landscape from
storms and rising sea levels.
To date, 88.3 acres of wetlands have been re-
stored in the watershed, which is above the
original goal of 50 acres.
Also, approximately 1,475 linear feet of living
shoreline has been restored or enhanced.
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Extensive monitoring is being conducted to track changes in both habitat and biota. The tidal fish
community has been monitored by Maryland’s Fisheries Service since 2003.
Sixteen species comprise 90% of seine or trawl catches collected
in the Corsica River annually during 2004-2011, including Atlan-
tic silverside, striped killifish, banded killifish, white perch, spot-
tail shiner, blueback herring, alewife, spot, Atlantic menhaden,
pumpkinseed, striped bass, channel catfish, yellow perch, striped
and bay anchovy. Blue crabs are common in the Corsica River Yellow Perch
and support local recreational and commercial fisheries.
At this time, there is no indication that the Corsica River is exhibiting improvements or declines in
habitat quality based on water quality and fish assemblages. Anadromous fish spawning and larval
surveys, and species richness and relative abundance during summer indicated that Corsica River func-
tions as spawning, nursery, and adult habitat for important Bay species.
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The Corsica River Conser-
vancy (CRC) mission is to
restore and preserve the Cor-
sica River and its watershed.
Their goal is to reduce pollution,
sedimentation and loss of habitat
to a level that will remove the Cor-
sica from the EPA list of im-
paired rivers. The CRC spon-
sors an annual Corsica Wa-
tershed Awareness Day
Corsica River Awareness Day
that is held on the 3rd Satur-
day in September from noon
to 4 p.m. at Bloomfield Farm
on Route 213, just north of
Centreville. This is a free
event, which combines fam-
ily fun with engaging envi-
ronmental education.
During the past six years
this has become a local
tradition attracting over
1,000 visitors each year. Corsica River Awareness Day
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In order to be able to measure water quality improvements as a result of BMP implementation efforts,
a comprehensive monitoring program was developed and initiated in the Corsica Watershed by the
Maryland Department of the Environment, Department of Natural Resources, and the US Geological
Survey in 2005. The water quality monitoring efforts focused on both the non-tidal and tidal portions
of the Corsica watershed.
Figure 8: Water quality, biology and habitat monitoring sites in the Corsica Watershed
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The Maryland Department of the Environment focused on four monitoring initiatives:
• Continuous Long-Term Tributary Water Quality Monitoring
• Synoptic Survey Nutrient Monitoring
• Septic System Nitrogen Reducing Retrofit Monitoring
• Stormwater and Stormwater Retrofit Monitoring
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There are three continuous
long-term water quality
monitoring sites located on Three Bridges Branch
the three main tributaries
that feed into the Corsica
River: Three Bridges
Branch, Gravel Run, and
Old Mill Stream. These
monitoring sites were es-
tablished to measure the
nutrient levels coming
from the headwaters of the
Gravel Run
Corsica Watershed into the
main stem of the Corsica
River.
Water quality data collected
at these sites gives water-
shed managers some in-
sight into trends over time.
In the non-tidal portion
Old Mill Stream
of the Corsica Water-
shed, concentrations of
both nitrogen and phos-
phorous have shown
statistically significant
decreasing trends in
Three Bridges Branch
Figure 8: Total Nitrogen 2005 to 2011
and Gravel Run over the
last five years. No nutri-
ent trends have been ob-
served in Old Mill
Stream at this time.
Figure 9: Three Corsica Tributaries Total Nitrogen (mg/L) 2005 to 2011
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While the continuous long-term
monitoring focuses on the larger
scale of the three main tributaries
draining into the Corsica Water-
shed, synoptic survey monitoring
focuses on the smaller scale or
streams draining into the three
Corsica tributaries. A nutrient syn-
optic survey is comprised of many
nutrient water quality samples col-
lected at one time throughout the
watershed at approximately fifty
sites. The synoptic survey cre-
ates a snap shot of water quality
conditions that watershed man-
agers can use to help locate nu-
trient sources or “hot spots”
and therefore focus BMP imple-
mentation and track watershed nutrient characteristics.
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Septic systems have been the traditional method for treating wastewater from residential homes not
attached to city sewer. As a large portion of the non-agricultural non-point source nutrients, septic
systems are believed to be a critical priority for addressing the nutrient TMDL in the Corsica River
watershed. Groundwater wells were installed in waterfront homes with traditional septic systems and
a septic system with a nitrogen retro-fit system installed. These wells have been monitored once a
month for five years. A 50% reduction in groundwater nitrogen concentrations has been ob-
served at the site with the nitrogen reducing septic system installed.
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Urban stormwater discharges into the Corsica River carry sediment, nutrients and contaminants. The
Town of Centreville is located in the middle of the Corsica watershed which makes stormwater runoff
an important factor in any attempt to control runoff entering the river. One such stormwater control
effort is the diversion of a direct stormwater outflow pipe that drained into Gravel Run into a created
stormwater wetland. The wetland was designed to capture sediment and treat stormwater runoff from
the Town of Centreville before it enters Gravel Run. One way of measuring success of the stormwa-
ter wetland is how much sediment was captured. After only eighteen months in operation, four
cubic yards of sediment were removed from the forebay (or main sediment capture pond)
which would have gone directly into Gravel Run before the diversion into the wetland. In ad-
dition, the wetland significantly improved water quality by removing petroleum and heavy metal con-
taminants in the stormwater runoff.
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Maryland DNR’s Tidewater Ecosystem Assessment
division is responsible for the tidal water quality
monitoring and assessment that helps support the
management actions of this project. There are five
continuous water quality monitors at three locations
in the tidal portion of the Corsica River that collect
dissolved oxygen, chlorophyll, turbidity, water tem-
perature, salinity and pH data. In addition, there are
monthly water quality research vessel cruises that col-
lect samples from April through October.
The observed positive trends toward nutrient reduc-
tions in two of the non-tidal tributaries entering into Figure 10: DNR Tidal Monitoring Stations
the Corsica have been encouraging. Due to many
influential factors such as slow transport of groundwater, tidal mixing, and suspension of legacy sedi-
ments similar results have not been observed in the tidal portion of the Corsica River. As we continue
implementation efforts in the watershed, future trends may show observable improvements in the
tidal portion of the Corsica River as well.
VVVVoooolllluuuunnnntttteeeeeeeerrrr MMMMoooonnnniiiittttoooorrrriiiinnnngggg ((((CCCCoooorrrrssssiiiiccccaaaa RRRRiiiivvvveeeerrrr CCCCoooonnnnsssseeeerrrrvvvvaaaannnnccccyyyy————CCCCRRRRCCCC))))
A team of local resident volunteers, trained by
the Maryland Department of the Environment,
conducts weekly water quality testing all along
the Corsica River from May to October each
year. Tests include temperature, salinity, clarity,
conductivity, dissolved oxygen, pH, and bacteria
(Enterococci). The bacteria samples are analyzed
by the Maryland Department of Health. Weather
conditions surrounding each sampling event are
documented. Results are submitted to state and
federal databases and published locally. Figure 11: Corsica Volunteer DO Monitoring Results
The CRC has been monitoring water quality at
five sites in the Corsica River since 2005.
The data collected is very important for tracking
the ecological health of the Corsica River. At
this time, it is difficult to discern any water qual-
ity trends in the tidal portion of the Corsica
River.
Figure 12: Corsica Volunteer Bacteria Monitoring Results
15

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The Corsica Watershed Initiative started in 2005 with specific goals established to move toward the restoration
of the Corsica River. Now, six years into the project, it is time to revisit the original goals, see what worked,
apply lessons learned, and adapt to move forward with the continued restoration of the Corsica River. The
fo llowing table lists the original restoration goals, and the updated (new) goals.
Table 1: Corsica Watershed Implementation Strategies/Goal Status and Future Plans
Previous New
Best 2005 - 2011 2012 - 2016
Cost Nutrient (N & P)
Management
$/Unit or $/Acre Reductions
Practice (BMP) Status NEW
Original Goal
End of 2011 Goal
1. Agricultural 100 acres 94.3 acres 125 ac re-enroll Grass Buffers: Grass Buffers:
Buffers 25 ac new en- Avg Implementation $ = N Removal = 16.92lbs/ac/yr
roll Cool Season = $425/ac P removal = 1.08lbs/ac/yr
Warm Season = $500/ac Forest Buffers:
Forested Buffers: N Removal = 27.28lbs/ac/yr
Avg Implementation $ = P removal = 2.15lbs/ac/yr
$600/ac.
Based on the Summary of
This does not include BMP Nutrient Reduction Cal-
additional annual culations (MDA source)
rental payments
2. Agricultural 3,000 acres 3,374 acres Maintain 5,500 $45/acre is the base payment Cover Crops:
Cover Crops Annually Annual avg. acres annually for cover crops with addi- N Removal = 9.48lbs/ac
tional environmental incen- P Removal = 0.13lbs/ac
tives added Small Grain:
N Removal = 6.31lbs/ac
P Removal = 0.07lbs/ac
Based on the Summary of
BMP Nutrient Reduction Cal-
culations (MDA Source)
3. Agricultural. 5 Projects 3 Farms are This issue has The cost on a per farm basis
Nutrient currently being been addressed to write a nutrient manage-
Mgmt. /Horse planned through out- ment plan for equine ranges
Farms reach efforts from $250-$300 based on
and will not be estimates received for small
part of the operations
project going
forward
4. Implement ad- NA NA 50 The cost of implementing The nutrient reduction varies
ditional BMPs BMPs varies depending on depending on which BMP is
on Agricultural the type and extent of each implemented
land practice.
5. Catalog all NA NA 125 Individual The cost associated with this Nutrient reduction for cost
BMPs on farms parcels work is included in the fund- shared BMPs was indicated at
including ing for the planner position. the time the BMP was imple-
farmer funded. mented. Nutrient reduction for
farmer funded BMPs will be
based on a functional equiva-
lent to be determined.
6. Wetland 50 acres 88.3 acres 20 acres Variable N/A
Creation
16

Table 1 (Continued): Corsica Watershed Implementation Strategies/Goal Status and Future Plans
Previous New
Best 2005 - 2011 2012 - 2016
Cost Nutrient (N & P)
Management
$/Unit or $/Acre Reductions
Practice (BMP) Status NEW
Original Goal
End of 2011 Goal
7. Retrofit Septic 30 16 14 $13,000/System Approximately
Systems 12 lbs Nitrogen/System/Year
8. WWTP Enhance Biological Nu- None $4,500,000 N = 50,770 lbs/Year
Upgrade Nutrient trient Removal P = 4,260 lbs/Year
Removal (BNR): Operat- Measured from pre-BNR
(ENR) ing @ ENR
levels with
BNR treat-
ment, based on
annual average
9. LID Projects 200 Rain 308 Rain 100 Rain $2,000/Rain Garden Rain Gardens per acre:
(Rain Gardens/ Gardens Gardens Gardens $60/Rain Barrel N=4.14 lbs/acre
Rain Barrels) 170 Rain 40 Rain P=0.33 lbs/acre
Barrels Barrels Rain Barrels: N/A
10. Easements 1,710 acres 5,800 acres 200 acres N/A TBD
and Land
Acquisition
11. Oyster Reef 20 Acres 10 Acres 20 Acres $1,000,000/ ≈ 100 million N/A
Replenishment (100 million spat) (50 million spat) (100 million spat) spat
12. New Code Town: Revisions to
and Ordinance Tree and pet parking code
waste ordi- requirements
nances
County:
Septic pump
out & lawn
fertilizer main-
tenance
13. Establish 300 300 Acres 112.54 Acres 187.46 Acres $15,000/Acre Varies per BMP since 2006:
acres of storm- N = 138 lbs/yr
water retrofits P = 19 lbs/yr
Sediment = 1.5 tons/yr
14. Establish SAV 10 Acres 0 Acres 10 Acres $100,000 for 10 acres seeded N/A
only, w/ 3 species
15. Stream 2 Miles 0 Miles 0.5 Miles Approx $150/linear ft., may Per linear ft/lb
Restoration be less for rural streams (new interim rates)
N= 0.20, P = 0.068
TSS = 310
New Practices: NA NA TBD N/A N/A
Dam removal
Fish Blockage
Street Sweeping NA NA 50 tons/yr $25,000/Year Varies per season
sediment &
debris
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LLLLeeeessssssssoooonnnnssss LLLLeeeeaaaarrrrnnnneeeedddd
This watershed restoration effort was designed to address the major impacts and stressors which af-
fected water quality in the main-stem (tidal portion) of the Corsica River. High nutrient loading was
specifically identified as the most important stressor to the overall health of the river. As with all dy-
namic living systems, there must be built-in adaptive management, and some goals identified in the
original WRAS could not be addressed due to various reasons; including costs and cost effectiveness,
the current ability of the river to support resources like oysters and submerged aquatic vegetation
(SAV), and impacts to the river that involve sensitive species.
The items below include both on-going objectives that have been successful and some that need to be
further implemented; all are essential to a highly functioning initiative.
• Effectively communicating conservation goals in the watershed;
• Engaging local communities in protection and restoration;
• Developing clear, measurable, science-based restoration and conservation strategies;
• Forming and maintaining a project implementation team that includes state, county, municipal,
agricultural and local citizen representatives;
• Narrowing focus to the sub-watershed level to assess non-tidal impacts and impairments;
• Focusing protection and restoration efforts that accomplish cost- effective and long-term sus-
tainable gains;
• Accounting for lag time that can be associated with water quality improvements;
• Having a central tracking repository for data and implementation activities, as well as analyzing
data results annually.
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Opportunities for the public to engage in this, or any, watershed effort are many and critically impor-
tant. Planting trees, growing oysters, participating in monitoring efforts, installing rain gardens/barrels
are just some of the opportunities for public involvement and should be utilized to the greatest de-
gree possible. More and more groups and agencies are relying on and fostering community level en-
gagement and education in order to protect and restore water and other valuable resources around
the country and the world.
PPPPllllaaaannnntttt TTTTrrrreeeeeeeessss////BBBBuuuuffffffffeeeerrrrssss
Planting riparian buffers along waterways is essential in limiting nutrient runoff, both in urban, subur-
ban, and agriculture areas. The Department of Natural Resources has a several funding sources that
can pay for tree buffers and similar projects on private and public land. Contact MD DNR’s Chesa-
peake and Costal Program for more information. You can also work with the Corsica Conservancy
for specific projects.
http://dnr.maryland.gov/ccp/index.asp
http://www.corsicariverconservancy.org/
Forest Stewardship Plan: Any homeowner with 5 acres or more can become certified on their pri-
vate property. Contact the DNR Forestry Department or your County Forester.
MMMMaaaarrrryyyyllllaaaannnndddd DDDDNNNNRRRR’’’’ssss OOOOyyyysssstttteeeerrrr CCCCaaaaggggeeee PPPPrrrrooooggggrrrraaaammmm
The CRC has been growing oysters under the state Maryland Grows Oysters (MGO) program since
2009. In 2011, 40 properties owners on the Corsica hosted 221 oyster cages filled with shells
that had been seeded with oyster spat. The CRC plans to continue and expand their oyster recov-
ery program. If you have a pier or dock along the river and want to participate in the program, please
contact CRC.
For other areas in Maryland, contact Chris Judy at MD DNR:
http://www.oysters.maryland.gov/
RRRRaaaaiiiinnnn GGGGaaaarrrrddddeeeennnnssss &&&& RRRRaaaaiiiinnnn BBBBaaaarrrrrrrreeeellllssss
The Corsica River Conservancy developed a rain garden program in 2006, and has installed of over
300 residential rain gardens in the Corsica River watershed as of 2011. Rain gardens are an im-
portant component to local restoration efforts, by providing a hands-on learning opportunity to
homeowners, and by capturing excess nutrient runoff.
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PPPPrrrrooooggggrrrreeeessssssss RRRReeeeppppoooorrrrtttt:::: 2222000000005555————2222000011111111
Through several grant programs, homeowners in the Corsica watershed
have had rain gardens available to them free of charge. CRC will be look-
ing for funding to continue this highly successful program. Please check
our website at www.corsicariverconservancy.org for updates on the status
of our rain garden program.
Rain barrels are available for purchase online through multiple vendors.
http://www.rainbarrelsource.com
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Lawns are Maryland’s biggest “crop” and a large source of nutrient runoff. You can have a nice lawn
and still be mindful of your streams and river with just a little thought and care – and less work and
expense! There are several things you can do to accomplish this:
• Established lawns generally do not require spring fertilization. If you do buy weed killer for
spring/summer application, check the label of ingredients since many such products contain
mostly unneeded fertilizer.
• The University of Maryland recommends fertilizer with no phosphorus and 0.9 pounds of ni-
trogen per 1,000 square feet of lawn per year, preferably in the fall only.
• Cut your lawn so that clippings are recycled back into it. This helps add nitrogen back into the
soil which helps to improve the soil quality and decrease the amount of fertilizer you need.
• Have a soil test done to determine what your lawn actually needs and follow the recommenda-
tions from the results.
• If you water your lawn, do so only early in the morning, or late afternoon/evening, and be care-
ful not to overwater since this is also a source of pollutant runoff.
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Pet waste not disposed of properly is responsible for substantial nutrient and bacteria deposits in local
streams and rivers. The Town of Centreville has a pet waste ordinance that requires owners to prop-
erly dispose of all waste from pets.
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The CRC has been monitoring water quality at five sites in the Corsica River since 2005. Monitoring
is conducted from May through October. The following parameters are measured at one foot and at
depth: Dissolved Oxygen (mg/l), Water Temperature (oC), Temperature compensated Conductivity
(mS/cm), Salinity (ppt), pH, Secchi Disk Water Clarity (m) and Enterococci (CFU).
To join the monitoring effort, go to:
http://www.corsicariverconservancy.org/water-quality-monitoring
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Thank you to the following writers, editors, and contributors of this document:
Teri Batchelor, Maryland Department of Natural Resources
Carrie Decker, Maryland Department of Natural Resources
Frank Digilianardo, Corsica River Conservancy
Jen Dindinger, University of Maryland Extension Program
Quentin Forrest, Maryland Department of the Environment
David Foster, Chester River Keeper
Rob Gunter, Queen Anne County Planning
Isabella Junkin, Chester River Association
Eva Kerchner, Town of Centreville
Michael Kashiwagi, Maryland Department of Natural Resources
Jim Malaro, Corsica River Conservancy
Margaret McGinty, Maryland Department of Natural Resources
Dave Mister, Maryland Department of Agriculture
Debbie Pusey, Corsica River Conservancy
Eric Ruby, Maryland Department of the Environment
Erin Ryan, (Intern) Maryland Department of the Environment
John Scarborough, Queen Anne County Public Works
Kevin Smith, Maryland Department of Natural Resources
Katie Starr, Queen Anne’s Soil Conservation District
Mark Trice, Maryland Department of Natural Resources
21