At a Glance
Over 30 acres of freshwater tidal wetlands are now home to an array of waterfowl and wetland aquatic species within the Nation’s Capital.
Project Description
Biohabitats provided ecological planning and design services for an open-end contract with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Baltimore District Planning Division to restore wetlands in the watershed and enhance aquatic habitat in several tributary streams of the Anacostia River.
The restoration of the Anacostia River was the largest urban waterway restoration project in the country. Biohabitats’ responsibilities included analysis of a 120-acre tidal embayment (Kingman Lake) on the Anacostia River. The project involved a comprehensive inventory and analysis of existing conditions including: monitoring of biological and geomorphological conditions; high, low, and mid-marsh plant communities; water quality monitoring and analysis; and sediment transport and deposition.
Design tasks addressed measures to increase terrestrial and aquatic habitat, enhance water quality, investigate the use of dredge material to create mid - high marsh and upland vegetative zones. Biohabitats prepared detailed concept designs, cost/benefit analyses of restoration techniques, specifications, final comprehensive conceptual restoration plans and maintenance/monitoring programs.
The habitat enhancement project involved agency coordination, negotiation, and design workshops involving regulators, owners, and project sponsors such as the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, Montgomery County and Prince George’s County governments, Maryland National Capitol Parks and Planning, the National Park Service and Maryland Department of Natural Resources.