Stream restoration in the Chesapeake Bay watershed: Data synthesis and analysis of interviews with practitioners

Abstract

The Chesapeake Bay is the focus of a high profile restoration program and river restoration is one part of the strategy. A comprehensive database of over 4700 stream restoration projects across the watershed was compiled to examine where money is spent, what issues motivate restoration, and what approaches are used. The majority of projects were implemented to restore riparian vegetation and improve water quality. While over $400 million has been spent on stream restoration projects since 1990, less than 6% of written project records indicated that related monitoring had occurred. Comprehensive interviews with project managers were conducted for a subsample projects to characterize patterns in project goals, design, expenditures, project evaluation, and project success. Interviewed practitioners reported that the majority of projects were initiated to address environmental degradation, 70% were linked to other projects within the same watershed, and 76% of projects had some form of associated monitoring.