Anne Arundel
Waterway Restoration Alliance

Meeting Notes 2008-08-26

Those present are listed below. Special guests included Anne Arundel County DPW, Masoud Ghatineh, Engineer Manager and Dredging Program Coordinator. Bayland Consultants, Keith Tate, Jenifer Mook Bill Heckert and Sepehr Baharlou. Bea Poulin from Anne Arundel County Executive Office.

Bob Whitcomb, President of AAWRA opened the meeting by presenting AAWRA mission and its officers in attendance. Introduction of Masoud Ghatienh the contact for dredging at the Anne Arundel County of Department of Public Works and Keith Tate of Bayland along with his staff will be presenting a complete overview of Anne Arundel County waterway dredging projects status. The upcoming dredging seasons (October, 2008 to February, 2009) appears to be on track and in full production. Some concerns have been raised about the recent activities at Town Point DMP (Dredge Material Placement). Bayland consultants responded and addressed the concerns with an excellent letter outlining the time line of the project, the task of the project and expressing the project oversight. County Executive Leopold has challenged agencies involved in the permitting process for dredging, to meet current deadlines for this upcoming dredging season. A copy of a letter from Governor O'Malley to County Executive Leopold was shared showing the approved Waterway Improvement Funding grants for Anne Arundel County fro FY09.

Masoud Ghatineh was introduced and given the floor who reported that Bayland consultants works for the county and together there.s lots of progress this year for dredging projects in Anne Arundel County. Bea Poulin has been instrumental in working with County Budget process.

Masoud shared the requested funding/county priority list made to the Maryland State Waterway Improvement Program. $3.5 million was granted last fiscal year to Anne Arundel County. It was stated that State grant funding was a 2 year process. The funding request submitted to Director Bob Gaudette of Department of Natural Resources Waterway Improvement Fund for FY 2010, was for almost $4.3 million.

The list shows grant funding was requested for 9 projects (Rockhold Creek Federal channel, Fort Smallwood Park Boat Ramp, DMP Site Management, SAV Monitoring, Mill Creek . Maintenance and Entrance Channel, Brady Cove, Old Glory Cove, Duvall Creek, Severn River Headwaters) for FY 2010. Due to budget concerns/shortage at the county level, Brady Cove and Old Glory Cove have been slated for budgeting in FY 2011 but if State funding is granted this would help with requesting Brady and Old Glory funding this coming fiscal year budget. Even with the delay in funding, both coves should remain on track for current slated dredging schedule.

Rockhold Creek Federal channel project will be using private DMP site at Herrington Harbor. If funded, Parish Creek (federal project) is currently schedule for this year as well and Idlewilde DMP site will be ready for dredge material.

Masoud Ghatineh introduced Bayland, President Keith Tate, who had a Powerpoint presentation covering the status of the dredging program in the County.

Currently Anne Arundel County has 23 waterway projects in the works that are being tracked, each project having 100 different activities/task for completion. In addition there are 6 DMP sites also having 100 different activities/task. Both DMP sites Town Point and Idlewilde are under going major reconstruction and enlargement for new dredge material.

Each dredging project has to be approved by 7 different agencies for permitting. These agencies are backlogged due to personnel shortage. Bayland has been working/assisting with agencies and tracking progress to try to keep projects of track for dredging this season.

SAV monitoring has been performed by Anne Arundel County since 1996. AA county performs SAV monitoring three years prior and three years after dredging, of each project. From this monitoring AA has developed a very good database which has become even more important for reporting to DNR. DNR has recently required SAV reporting. SAV monitoring has 14 parameters and performed in early spring and then again in early summer to compile results.

AA county currently has a good program for stormwater system retrofitting, when required by the dredging permits to reduce sediment infiltrating a waterway. Data collected shows a much improved SAV after retrofitting and dredging after completion.

New State legislation was passed and the new fee structure for permitting spurs went into effect July 1, 2008. Individual permitting for spurs now have a base cost of $750 and upwards. By submitting next years dredging project for permitting before this date a saving for Carrs Creek was $28,000, Parish Creek was $15,000, Brady Cove was $18,000 and Old Glory was $7,500 in fees. The County created a savings of nearly $69,000 by expediting this process.

AA county, Bayland and AAWRA will review how to better do permitting. This will be a key issue for discussion at the next meeting.

Two projects (Parker Creek cleanup and Whitehall Creek) were completed last season and three new projects were added this past year.

Scheduled for dredging this 2008/2009 season but still in permitting process are Town Point Cove, Broadwater Creek, Locust Creek, Main Creek and Mill Creek. Federal projects Rockhold and Parish Creeks, and phase 1 - channel marking for Warehouse Creek.

2009/2010 schedule is Parish Creek (pending federal funding), Carrs Creek, Mill Creek, Brady Cove and Old Glory Cove.

2010/2011 schedule is Warehouse Creek, Duvall Creek, Severn River Headwaters, Pocahontas Creek Headwaters, Upper West River, Saltworks Creek and Stephens Creek.

2012 schedule includes Weems and Church Creek.

Attending were:

Bob Whitcomb
Paul & Gloria Rickett
Ken Hawes
Elisa Moore
Ron Nicholson
Mark Alagna
Mike Geers
Carlos Larsuez
Don Lewis
Jerry Karsh
Pat& Paul Appel
Jimmy Rogan
Geoff Thomas
Juliet Page
P. Bruce Walker
Carl & Sharon Mauck
Rhonda Harrison
Eileen Focock
Christine Reinert
Jose Sagripanti