City Approves Funding For ‘Constructed Wetlands’ Along The Middle Branch

BALTIMORE (WJZ) — Baltimore approved backing for the installation of “constructed wetlands” on the Middle Branch, restoring the shoreline of parts of the Patapsco River and protecting South Baltimore neighborhoods from flooding, Mayor Brandon Scott said Friday.

The task is portion of the larger Reimagine Middle Branch initiative, which looks to activate the waterfront with parks, an east-west way and different amenities.

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“Early maps of the Middle Branch… amusement a thick, natural, and resilient shoreline edge,” a report connected the project says. “Through time, this borderline has been reshaped and hardened by manufacture and infrastructure, resulting successful a shoreline contiguous that is thin, fragmented, and impacted by trash, highways, vacancy, and erosion.”

On Wednesday, the Board of Estimates approved an allocation of $5.1 cardinal from the Department of Public Works fund toward the operation of wetlands. The Maryland Department of Natural Resources is providing an further $3.5 cardinal done a grant.

“Today’s backing announcement is simply a triumph successful enactment of the neighbors and communities successful South Baltimore, which these caller wetlands volition protect,” said Scott. “As a larboard city, we indispensable proactively enactment and implicit these types of projects to amended Baltimore’s clime resiliency.”

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Wetlands and nature-based resiliency features volition beryllium installed connected a city-owned parcel of waterfront onshore located adjacent S. Hanover Street and Frankfurst Avenue successful the Brooklyn neighborhood.

The South Baltimore Gateway Partnership is administering the funds for the installation.

“This tract floods regularly, keeping exigency vehicles from reaching Harbor Hospital quickly,” said South Baltimore Gateway Partnership Executive Director Brad Rogers. “We request to make these wetland protective measures to marque definite that South Baltimore communities and their resources are protected for the future, long-term.”

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The wetlands task is simply a finalist for a $32 cardinal national assistance done the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities program, Scott said.

Brandon Weigel