Maryland Coastal Resiliency Grants

The Maryland Board of Public Works (BPW) recently approved funding for a new Coastal Resiliency Grant Program to help Maryland’s coastal communities enhance their resiliency to the effects of extreme storms and weather.

The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) program will help design four shoreline improvement demonstration projects across the state with an additional two projects pending.

Grantees will work with department staff and coastal engineers to complete designs and will partner with local communities to ensure an open and transparent process. Funds for this new pilot program were designated in Maryland’s budget for Fiscal Year 2018, which set aside dedicated funds for the design of shoreline restoration projects

Maryland Coastal Resiliency Grant projects:

Dorchester County

Address sea level rise, complex sediment dynamics, and wave action through a living shoreline built with local dredged material along the mouth of Hurst Creek on the Choptank River.

Eagle Harbor

Focus on sea level rise, stormwater impacts, and storm surge in Prince George’s County community through a living shoreline, stream enhancement and stormwater practices.

Somerset County

Mitigate erosion and flooding along Deal Island Peninsula with a living shoreline that incorporates dune restoration and marsh enhancement.

St. Catherine’s Island

Concentrate on erosion and sea level rise at the Jefferson Islands Club’s island in St. Mary’s County with an innovative living shoreline that builds coastal resiliency and wildlife habitat on an island environment in the lower Potomac River.

Two additional projects, slated for Anne Arundel County, will go before the Board of Public Works later this year.

The new Coastal Resiliency Grant Program is part of a larger Resiliency through Restoration Initiative, which also provides technical assistance for communications, education, monitoring, and outreach to document and share the benefits of natural solutions.

source: Maryland Department of Natural Resources