McCrone's Living Shoreline Design Preserves County Road

When the only road connecting the town of Elliott to the rest of Maryland was threatened by wave erosion, McCrone's Land Development team responded with a solution that protected the wildlife while mai ntaining a natural flow of sediment.

    The McCrone team designed and permitted a living shoreline to address 3200 linear feet of eroding shoreline along the road.  A living shoreline has proven to be one of the most beneficial, environmentally-friendly solutions in areas that have suffered from the elements. It not only provides stabilization and erosion control measures to preserve and/or restore the natural shoreline, but it also provides an aquatic habitat, marsh plantings and, for this project, stone sills.

     The living shoreline on Elliott's Island Road includes new high and low marsh areas, tidal flush areas, tide pools and extends the marsh habitat into Fishing Bay in an attempt to recreate the historic shoreline.

In addition to providing new habitat and an ADA accessible wetlands area for the public, the extended marsh will protect the road for decades to come and help reduce the nutrient load in the bay.

    Living shorelines are not appropriate for all locations, but where suitable they are a great alternative to structural stabilization. They provide a transition zone between land and water creating a home for turtles, birds, fish, and many other aquatic species while maintaining the natural flow of sediment. They use vegetation to help protect the land, provide habitat, and retain the natural function of a shoreline.

Permits were obtained by our team working with Dorchester County, Maryland Department of the Environment, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Funding for the design and construction of this project was provided by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). Jan comments, "Not only was I pleased with the outcome of this project, but the experience and knowledge I gained involving grant/ARRA funding issues and requirements was extremely valuable."