The Coastal Bays Program

Upper St Martins River Watershed Restoration Project

Water Quality & Fish Monitoring Plan
by Roman Jesien
The objective of this plan is to describe investigations to determine how water quality, fish and aquatic habitat respond after dam modification and habitat improvement near Bishopville, Worcester County, Maryland. Dam modification is projected to commence in October or November, 2007 and will continue for three to four months. Vegetation planting will commence at as soon after construction as practicable, and will continue up to three years following completion of construction. Fish assemblage will be sampled during summer 2006, and spring and summer 2007. Water quality will be monitored from summer 2006 through summer 2008.

Click here to read the complete plan in PDF.

posted: 22 Jan 2007

Dam Removal To Restore Spawning Habitat

Dr. Roman Jesien
Herring, shad, and white perch may soon get some ancient spawning habitat returned after plans to remove the Bishopville dam reached fruition in January.

Landscape designer, Keith Underwood, comically hugs a large bald cypress to give scale to the majestic old tree, notice the prop roots, or "knees", that are distinctive for this species.

Click here for a great story about Keith Underwood

Last month, the Estuary Habitat Restoration Council announced that a Coastal Bays and DNR grant to restore the St. Martins River and open fish access to the upper reaches of Bishopville Prong was one of five projects selected nationwide for funding. The upper St. Martins River is the most degraded water body in the coastal bays.

The $1.7 million restoration project is a cooperative effort among the Maryland Coastal Bays Program, Maryland Department of Natural Resources, US Army Corps of Engineers, State Highway Administration, and Worcester County to remove the existing dam at Bishopville, landscape the area, and restore the stream and streamside vegetation.

The project will remove the dam at Bishopville while still retaining a portion of the current pond. A series of pools and riffles will be built to allow fish to pass up the creek and open about seven miles of stream habitat for anadromous fishes (anadromous fish live in the ocean but spawn in freshwater). Such fish like salmon, herring, rockfish, and shad have been hit hard by two centuries worth of dam building.

When complete, the project will allow resident stream fishes to have access to a larger area and more salt tolerant species would have access to upper stream areas. American eels are currently able to pass the dam, but white perch and hickory shad are found only below it. The opened area would provide habitat for spawning and a nursery. Spawning habitat exists for river herring and runs could be established from transplanting populations from other coastal rivers.

These people from the various agencies involved in the project recently met to visit the site and discuss details of the project. (Right to Left) Richard Davidson (landowner), Kevin Smith (DNR), Keith Underhill (designer), Joe Berg (Biohabitats), Steve Kopecky(COE), Sandy Coyman (Worcester CO), Rob Shreeve(SHA), Steve Dawson (DNR), Roman Jesien (MCBP), Joe Kincaid(MDE), Ellen Cummings (COE)