The Havre de Grace Stormwater Management and Wetland Enhancement Project is a multi-phase ecological restoration project located at the City of Havre de Grace’s well-visited public Promenade at Concord Point, a waterfront walkway connecting three museums – the Havre de Grace Maritime Museum, the Havre de Grace Decoy Museum, and the Concord Point Lighthouse and Keeper’s House.

 

The project drains approximately 5 acres of 50% impervious area. Prior to the restoration work, a thick layer of sediment covered a 175-foot 18” concrete storm drain pipe that discharged runoff directly into the Susquehanna River. This area is home to the incredibly important and delicate Susquehanna Flats, the largest bed of underwater grasses in the Chesapeake Bay. The discharged runoff contained sediments, excess nutrients, and toxics that were harmful to the fragile submerged aquatic vegetation.

 

This innovative project consists of a Regenerative Stormwater Conveyance (RSC), a dry stream channel, and a living shoreline within a wetland cove on the Lower Susquehanna River where it meets the Chesapeake Bay. This creative blend of restoration practices reduces nutrient and sediment loads to the Bay, provides infiltration and groundwater recharge, enhances habitat, reduces flooding, and mitigates the impacts of climate change.