Watershed 246

Parks & People Foundation is partnering with the Baltimore Harbor Watershed Association (BHWA), Baltimore City Department of Public Works and the Cleaner Greener Campaign, Center for Watershed Protection, and the Chesapeake Bay Trust to focus greening resources on the Harris Creek stormshed, a 1200 acre area with 44,000 residents.

The historic Harris Creek now lies completely underground and is fed by the multitude of storm drains scattered throughout Watershed 246. This ‘stormshed’ empties directly into the Baltimore Harbor and routinely dumps over three tons of trash into the Harbor every month. The Harris Creek project aims to bring various stakeholders together including residents, community garden clubs, church groups, municipal agencies, schools, and other community organizations.

By bringing these groups together and working to align their goals and concerns around the benefits of a cleaner and greener community, the Parks & People Foundation and BHWA will develop a watershed plan aimed at reducing trash, increasing green space, creating more natural hydrology, and improving the livability of the community. A trash collector at the outfall to the Harbor will allow measurement of improvements brought about by this watershed initiative. A successful project would then be able to be replicated for the other 144 stormsheds that flow to the Harbor.

For more information on this project, please call (410) 448-5663.