Land Conservation, Restoration, and Management For Water Quality Benefits in Cecil County, Maryland Technical Report for the Cecil County Green Infrastructure Plan December 2007 Ted Weber The Conservation Fund 410 Severn Ave., Suite 204 Annapolis, Maryland 21403 410-990-0175
[email protected] ABSTRACT Streams in Cecil County, Maryland provide the majority of the county’s drinking water, drain into the nationally significant Chesapeake Bay, and support fish and other aquatic life. Yet many of the county’s streams are impaired. The Conservation Fund examined biological and chemical stream data collected statewide and countywide, and compared these to watershed and site conditions to search for possible relationships. These analyses were consistent with previous studies that indicated that forest cover and impervious surfaces had a significant impact on water quality. As indicated by the benthic macroinvertebrate community, nitrate levels, and phosphorus levels, water quality in Cecil County was generally highest in watersheds with <7% imperviousness and >50% forest and wetland cover. We used these thresholds to develop goals and models for land conservation and restoration for water quality benefits. To meet water quality goals, Cecil County should minimize conversion of forest to development, limit house lot size, complete upgrades of the county’s wastewater treatment plants, install denitrifying septic systems, construct tertiary treatment wetlands, restore riparian forest and wetlands in targeted watersheds, use low impact site design techniques, treat existing sources of stormwater and point source runoff, reduce nutrient and sediment runoff from agriculture, and implement other best management practices. KEYWORDS: Cecil County, Maryland, Green Infrastructure, water quality, conservation, reforestation, watersheds, TMDL, best management practices, MBSS INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND Water quality in Cecil County Water quality is a major issue throughout the Chesapeake Bay watershed.