Long-Term Strategy To Guide Restoration And Water Quality Improvements In The Severn River Watershed

The Severn River Association (SRA) is launching the Severn River Action Plan (SRAP), a long-term strategy to guide and prioritize restoration throughout the Severn River watershed. The SRAP enables SRA to assess the Severn’s subwatersheds, track projects, and enhance capacity for implementing critical restoration.

The SRAP replaces two previous Severn River planning documents: the 2002 Watershed Management Plan and the 2006 Final Report. Unlike these overviews, the SRAP offers a detailed, targeted approach and identifies optimal restoration sites, weighs costs and benefits, and outlines an implementation path.

The SRAP ranks subwatersheds by need, identifying and focusing on Weems Creek as the top priority. This approach ensures resources are directed to high-impact areas, offering a clear framework for future restoration.

“This document serves as an important strategic plan that will guide how SRA sequences its future restoration projects in order of greatest need,” remarked Ben Fertig, SRA restoration manager.

As part of the long-term vision, action plans for each subwatershed will be developed in order of ranking. Successful implementation of these projects is critical to achieving a healthier and more resilient Severn River. SRA is committed to securing resources and to working with community stakeholders to bring this vision to life.

“The SRAP is our restoration lodestar, guiding our assessment strategy for years to come in order to deliver on our vision of a thriving Severn River,” said Jesse Iliff, SRA executive director.

A six-page summary can be downloaded from the SRA website at bit.ly/SRAPsummary, and the full report can be read here: bit.ly/SRAPfullreport.