Jabez Stream and Bog Restoration

Underwood & Associates (funder, design, construction, adaptive management, maintenance, and monitoring)
Severn Riverkeeper Program (project management)
Maryland Department of Natural Resources (core funder, monitoring)
Resilience Authority of Annapolis Anne Arundel County (project management)
National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (funder)
Anne Arundel County (funder)

The Jabez Stream and Bog Restoration Project is a revolutionary project that addresses severe erosion on a reach of Jabez Tributary 3, a tributary to Jabez Branch in Anne Arundel County, Maryland, in the Severn Run watershed of the Chesapeake Bay. The project fixed a major erosion problem caused by the building of Interstate 97, restored 2,600 linear feet of incised stream, enhanced 2.6 acres of existing freshwater wetlands, and created an additional 2.7 acres of new wetland habitat, resulting in a massive reduction of sediment and nutrient pollution flowing into the Severn River.

The project features several created bogs now thriving with native bog plant species. This rare habitat type was formerly present in this location before human disturbance disrupted stream hydrology.

During construction, Underwood & Associates was careful to avoid impacting trees and implemented protective measures to ensure older trees are able to thrive in the new conditions. This project is the largest restoration project in the Severn Riverkeeper Program’s 20-year history, and was a decade in the making. The project is monitored for temperature, water quality, and habitat value by research teams from DNR, Underwood & Associates, and Synrgy Solutions.

The variety of habitats created support thriving wildlife populations including beavers, foxes, turtles, frogs, and through monitoring 9 species of fish present post-construction was found – an increase from the only 6 species of fish found prior to restoration. Even before the project was fully implemented, beavers moved into the project area, constructing 3 dams within the project.

This site has become a hub for environmental education events for the local community and summer camps throughout Maryland, including a partnership with Backyard Basecamp in Baltimore City. Youth from a variety of groups have enjoyed opportunities to participate in macroinvertebrate sampling, scavenger hunts, and tree plantings.