Winchester Ravine Restoration

Before Project

• The hillside on Winchester community property was covered by thick, aggressive bamboo.

• An obscured 24” pipe poured neighborhood runoff into a deeply incised ditch.

• The ditch was a persistent source of sediment-laden runoff channeling into Little Cove on Chase Creek on the north shore of the Severn River.

After Project

• Over the course of two phases of this project, the pipe has been swapped with two RSCs (Regenerative Stormwater Conveyance) that mimic natural systems using a series of alternating pools and riffles to slow the flow of water and treat excess nutrients and sediments.

• Healthy habitat has been created for native plants, amphibians, birds, and other wildlife. The invasive bamboo has been replaced with thriving natives, such as highbush blueberries and sweetspire.

• A pea gravel path now leads neighbors down to the bottom of the project, where they can stop and read interpretive signs along the way and kids can catch bull frogs while exploring the pools.

• This project showcases how stormwater management can serve a purpose beyond its original intent, providing ecological uplift and creating a community asset.

Stats

• The project treats runoff from an 18-acre watershed of which 5 acres are impervious

• Each year this project removes…

  •  87 lbs/yr of nitrogen

  • 8 lbs/yr of phosphorus

  • 2,450 lbs/yr of total suspended solids