Cuckold Creek Charrette

St. Mary's County
Maryland

Background

The Cuckold Creek Watershed in St. Mary's County, Maryland has been selected as a priority watershed area by the local tributary team, the Patuxent River Commission. The tributary teams of Maryland form a watershed-based approach to restoring the health of the Chesapeake Bay. The Patuxent River Commission chose the Cuckold Creek Watershed as a priority area because the watershed is dominated highly erodible soils that impair water quality through stormwater runoff. As a result of the soil erosion there are many severely eroding large gullies on wooded slopes above stream beds. The region is also expected to grow substantially due to expansion of a local Navy base, thus the Commission would like to find solutions to protecting areas vulnerable to severe erosion. Secondly, the Commission would like to identify funding sources and processes necessary to correct the very large, severely eroding gullies currently existing in the watershed.

A Two-part Charrette

The Environmental Finance Center and the Patuxent River Commission held a workshop for local developers, county staff and engineers to investigate solutions to managing growth on highly erodible soils. This charrette was held to generate ideas for preventing future gullying on the soils and also to find solutions to restoring eroding sites which are currently posing risks to structures and streams. A follow-up charrette will be held to refine the suggestions of the workgroup, including identification of funding sources.

About the Watershed

The Cuckold Creek Watershed is about 20,000 acres in size and steeply sloping with elevations ranging from 180 feet to tidal water over short distances. Past agricultural and development practices on the level upland has directed stromwater runoff to the steep wooded slopes of the streams, causing severe gullying on the Westphalia soil types. Westphalia soils are probably the most susceptible soils to erosion in all of Maryland.

There are at least 10 large gullies in the watershed. These gullies are a significant source of mud pollution and destroy forested areas as they erode. Mud pollution, which also results from other development and runoff activities, is a major threat to water quality and has been shown to lower the value of streamside homes.