Baltimore County Executive Kevin Kamenetz and 6th District Councilwoman Cathy Bevins yesterday visited the Bird River waterfront in the Middle River area to announce a dredging project on the upper river.
“ Our waterfront is one of Baltimore County’s best amenities and this project will help homeowners and recreational boaters access the Bird River and benefit from being on the water ,” said Kamenetz .
The project will dredge sections of Bird River and Railroad Creek in order to improve boating navigation and safety. Bird River and Railroad Creek were previously dredged in 2002-2003.
The design and permitting of the Bird River maintenance dredging project will be initiated in FY18 with construction anticipated to begin approximately two years from that date.
The project will restore the river channels to the previously permitted design depths, removing an estimated 50,000 cubic yards of material from 25,650 linear feet of the channel.
The estimated cost is $4.5 million, with partial funding provided through grants by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, Waterway Improvement Fund. The county will fund 55% of the project cost with the remaining 45% coming from the State grant.
In the upcoming year Baltimore County Department of Environmental Protection and Sustainability (EPS) will conduct a community meeting to discuss the proposed waterway dredging.
At that time waterfront property owners may elect to have a spur channel dredged from the county’s main channel to their individual pier or boat ramp at their own expense.
EPS will provide assistance with spur design, permitting and construction. Additionally, the County will offer 10-year interest free loans to qualified individuals.