Flag Ponds Living Shoreline

Project Overview

The north end of Flag Ponds Nature Park, adjacent to the Long Beach Community, has experienced extreme rates of erosion. This has resulted in loss of park property and damage to wildlife habitat. If not abated, the erosion will impact adjacent private property.

Calvert County has partnered with Soil Conservation District and the Maryland Department of Natural Resources to control the shoreline erosion at Flag Ponds Nature Park. A "living shoreline" was the erosion control strategy recommended by MD DNR.

MD DNR classified the Flag Ponds Living Shoreline Project as a top priority based on the following criteria: 

1. The high rate of erosion (over 6 feet per year).
2. The proposed conceptual design protects approximately 500 linear feet of shoreline and creates approximately 10,000 square feet of marsh.
3. It is a public recreational area, which maximizes its benefit to the surrounding communities.

This project would mitigate the damage caused by flooding identified in the Calvert County Flood Mitigation Plan and would also be eligible to provide credits for the County’s Watershed Implementation Plan for sediment and nitrogen control.

The goal of this project is to provide protection to the eroding shoreline and neighboring community through the design and construction of a climate resilient, functional, and economic living shoreline project, with a minimum life expectancy of 15-years.

Project Information