Tinkers Creek: Largest Stream Restoration in Maryland is Underway

UPDATE: THIS PROJECT WAS SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETED IN OCTOBER 2021.

Just east of Washington D.C. in Prince George’s County, what will soon be the largest stream restoration in Maryland, is well underway. In this highly urbanized watershed, over 7 miles (41,000 linear feet) of Tinkers Creek and its tributaries, Meetinghouse Branch and Paynes Branch, will be stabilized and restored using nature-based design techniques.

The project was designed by Princeton Hydro for GV-Petro, a partnership between GreenVest and Petro Design Build Group. The project aims to prevent erosion and restore wildlife habitat using bioengineering techniques like riparian zone planting and live staking. 10,985 native trees and shrubs will be planted in the riparian area, and 10,910 trees will be planted as live stakes along the streambank. Recently, this project was expanded to include the stabilization and restoration of stormwater outfalls and headwater tributaries.

Working with Prince George’s County Department of the Environment and coordinating with the Maryland-National Capital Parks and Planning Commission, this full-delivery project is designed to meet the County’s Watershed Implementation Plan (WIP) total maximum daily load (TMDL) requirements and its National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) Discharge Permit conditions.

Prince George’s County borders the eastern portion of Washington, D.C and is the second-most populous county in Maryland. Tinkers Creek is located on a five-mile stretch of stream valley, from Old Branch Avenue to Temple Hills Road, in Clinton and Temple Hills, Maryland. The tributary system of Tinkers Creek is described as “flashy,” meaning there is a quick rise in stream level due to rainfall as a result of its high proportion of directly connected urbanized impervious areas. Its streams have storm flow rates many times higher than that from the rural and forested sub-watersheds in the southeast.

This stream restoration project was identified as a priority due to the significant levels of channel incision and the severity of erosion and its impacts on surrounding neighborhoods. Additionally, the project’s proximity to the headwater reaches located on Joint Base Andrews (JBA), so the ability to improve water quality and wildlife habitat made this project a high priority. It provides an important opportunity to create a safe, sustainable, and resilient stream valley in the community.

The design for the stream, and all of the tributaries within the restoration area, will restore these channels to their naturally-stable form. During the preliminary assessment of onsite conditions, the stream and tributaries within the restoration area were classified using geomorphic assessments and hydrologic and hydraulic analysis.

Once the stream types and conditions were identified, a series of restoration approaches were designed, including floodplain creation, bank stabilization using natural materials and plantings, re-aligning straightened stream channels to have a more natural sinuosity, stormwater conveyance, and natural material grade control structures. These changes will help to reduce channel flow velocities and shear stress for flows greater than bankfull; reduce bank erosion and maintain bank stability; treat and attenuate stormwater flows; stabilize outfalls and the receiving stream channels; and stabilize vertically unstable channels.

The project area contained various subsurface utilities like sanitary sewer along the entire reach and fiber-optics and natural gas lines crossing the corridor. Once constructed, the project will improve hydraulic, geomorphic, physicochemical, and biological stream functions. It will also increase floodplain connectivity, improve bedform diversity, restore riparian buffers, and protect public subsurface utilities. In addition to water quality benefits, this project will preserve and enhance the forested floodplain and provide ecological uplift throughout the entire stream corridor.

Planning and design for Tinkers Creek Stream Restoration began in early 2018 and construction is expected to finish ahead of schedule in Spring of 2022. Princeton Hydro is providing construction oversight of all critical structures, such as grade controls, headwater step-pool grade controls, bank stabilization structures, and stormwater outfalls.

The below photos, taken during a site visit in January, showcase some of the exciting progress made by the project team thus far.

Stay tuned for more project updates!

Princeton Hydro specializes in the planning, design, permitting, implementing, and maintenance of ecological rehabilitation projects. To learn more about our watershed restoration services, click here. We have partnered with GreenVest on a number of projects, including the award-winning Pin Oak Forest Conservation Area freshwater wetland restoration project and the Mattawoman Creek Mitigation Site wetland enhancement and restoration initiative. To learn more about GreenVest, click here.

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• Flood Mitigation
• Green Infrastructure
• Natural Resource Management
• Stormwater Management
• Stream Restoration