Annapolis Completes Infiltration Cell Project For Severn River Watershed

ANNAPOLIS, Md. — The Whole Watershed Program celebrated a win in its mission to keep the Chesapeake Bay and local rivers clean, as officials gathered to showcase the two new infiltration cells in the Severn River watershed.

The Severn River is one of the two main tidal rivers surrounding Annapolis; the other is the South River. Infiltration cells are an engineered landscape feature designed to capture, slow and filter stormwater runoff before it enters a waterway. These cells will help prevent dirty stormwater from flowing into the Severn River.

Previously, stormwater from the community went into a pipe and came directly out into the Severn River, carrying pollutants and sediment. Slowing the stormwater down will improve the health of the Severn River and protect nearby restored oyster sanctuary reefs.

The Whole Watershed Program is a five-year pilot program and is part of the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR). It was established in April 2024 through the Whole Watershed Act (SB 969/HB 1165).

On May 29, Annapolis Alderman Frank Thorp presented the Whole Watershed team with a City Council citation thanking them for helping protect the river and its important ecosystem from pollution. Other attendees included Congresswoman Sarah Elfreth, Delegates Dana Jones and Dylan Behler, Maryland Department of Natural Resources Secretary Josh Kurtz, and representatives from the Severn Riverkeeper Program, the Severn River Association and the Chesapeake Bay Trust.

“We drafted the Whole Watershed Act because I knew that we needed to think bigger, be bolder, and move faster to protect the Chesapeake Bay. With these Whole Watershed Program projects in the Severn River Watershed, we are seeing meaningful progress made under this intentional, collaborative, and science-backed approach,” Congresswoman Sarah Elfreth, D-Md., said in a statement on her website.

Elfreth is the vice ranking member of the House Natural Resources Committee and co-chair of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Task Force.

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