Organizing to Restore a Watershed - Upper Monocacy River, Frederick County
In 2004, the Frederick County Department of Public Works embarked on creating a Watershed Restoration Action Strategy (WRAS) for the Upper Monocacy River watershed. The Monocacy flows into the Potomac River, about thirty miles upstream of Washington DC. The Upper Monocacy watershed covers about 126,000 acres in Frederick County, but also extends into parts of Carroll County, MD and Adams County, PA.
Goals
Frederick County's goal was to restore and protect the health of the Upper Monocacy River, its tributary streams and ultimately the county's water. The quality of local streams waters had declined due to a number of factors including:
- Sediment and nutrient (fertilizers) runoff from agricultural lands
- Practices from urban and suburban development;
- High proportions of denuded soils that erode easily
- A loss of forested land as rapid population growth resulted in new development
Process
Through a grant from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR), Frederick County's Division of Public Works worked with the State to complete the watershed strategy through a two phase process. During the first phase, DNR sampled and assessed water quality, stream corridors, and fish and aquatic communities, and gathered existing information for characterizing the watershed. During the second phase, the County organized a steering committee comprised of 44 representatives from 30 organizations and interest groups. The committee reviewed DNR data, organized working groups that defined objectives, shaped strategies for each subwatershed, addressed comments and collectively developed a vision statement.
Outcome
The Watershed Restoration Action Strategy is a comprehensive roadmap for restoring the Upper Monocacy. It includes measurable environmental goals, stakeholder involvement, and monitoring to address the water quality impairments in the watershed. Goals address five key areas: (1) fostering an environmental ethic, (2) restoring waterways, (3) protecting waterways, (4) protecting natural resources during land development, and (5) building capacity in the public and private sectors. Detailed Education and Outreach Objectives and Natural Resource Management Objectives articulate how to achieve these goals. In addition, specific strategies guide restoration and protection in each subwatershed. Finally, 38 priority sites are recommended for specific actions, such as restoring unbuffered streams, protecting critical forested headwater areas and wetlands, and introducing best management practices (BMPs) in urban and agricultural areas for to reduce nutrient runoff.
More Information
Upper Monocacy River Watershed Restoration Action Strategy, Frederick County Maryland, FINAL REPORT, June 2005 (pdf 6.0mb)