Urban Stream Restoration in Maryland: Can Urban Streams be Saved?

Stream restoration, the practice of modifying streams to improve geomorphic stability and ecological functionality, is now being applied to streams in Maryland. Many streams in Maryland have been degraded and destabilized due to urbanization impacts despite mandatory stormwater management regulations. Streams in some older neighborhoods have completed a cycle of degradation and are now achieving a state of "urban stream stability" and recovering biological habitat. Watershed characteristics that promote urban stability and recovery are identified and discussed. Review of the watershed characteristics can help identify if restoration efforts on a particular stream might be successful or if a stream has reached a "point of no return" at which restoration efforts will meet with little success.