Mattawoman Watershed Society, Inc.

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Mattawoman Creek Briefing: A Remarkable Resource at Risk
A proposed highway threatens Mattawoman Creek.  Full study through an Environmental Impact Statement is needed before any decision is made.
Mattawoman Creek is an exceptional Chesapeake Bay Resource:

 

 

 

American Shad are but one
of the many emamples of
the Creek's remarkable
productivity.

  • Assessments by Maryland’s Department of Natural Resources (DNR) find:
    • Mattawoman represents as near to ideal conditions as can be found in the northern Chesapeake Bay, perhaps unattainable in other systems, and should be protected from overdevelopment. 
    • Mattawoman is the best, most productive tributary in the Bay.
    • Of the Potomac’s multimillion bass fishery, author and noted fishing guide Ken Penrod says:
      • Mattawoman Creek is the most productive tributary of all the fine Potomac River Branches
    • DNR assessments have determined notable biodiversity and quality of habitat:
      • Healthiest food-chain in the Chesapeake; One of only three MD sites for the American Lotus; MD’s largest breeding Wood Duck population; Important Black Duck wintering ground; Nesting Bald Eagles.

      •  

      Mattawoman is imperiled by urbanization of its watershed: 

      • Many studies document that aquatic quality seriously declines when 10% of a watershed is covered with surfaces impervious to rainwater (roofs, roads, parking lots, etc.)
      • Mattawoman’s watershed is fast approaching the 10% redline.
      • Even with technical measures recommended by the Army Corps of Engineers, present plans call for a serious decline in Mattawoman’s quality (graph at right).  Without limiting sprawl development, the Creek is slated for serious degradation.

       

      An unneeded proposed highway and the growth it would induce pose a serious immediate threat

      • Charles County proposes to extend its Cross County Connector to link Rt. 301 to Rt. 210 at Bryans Road.
      • With Mattawoman’s value at stake, and the region’s well-known growth issues, full study through an Environmental Impact Statement is needed to determine this highway’s impacts before a decision is made.
      • This new highway would urbanize even more of the watershed & is unneeded. It would: duplicate Rt. 228, the existing cross county connecting highway; has an alternative via Middletown Rd, connecting the CCC to Rt. 228; and would increase traffic on Rt. 210 and all connecting roads, including Billingsley Rd.

       

       

       

      www.mattawomanwatershed.org