Watershed Assessment & Planning

The Watershed Assessment and Planning Program supplements water quality monitoring performed by the Ecological Assessment and Evaluation​ Program with additional stream and watershed baseline assessment measurements such as high resolution impervious and land cover datasets, urban stormwater information pertaining to treatment areas and performance measures, septic and stormwater infrastructure information, stream problem area inventory, in addition to other assessment data. 

Regulatory Drivers

• United States EPA 1972 Federal Clean Water Act
• MDE Stormwater Management Program
• National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) MS-4 Permit
• Anne Arundel County Phase II Watershed Implementation Plan
• Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs) & Implementation/Restoration Plans
• Watershed Assessments/Studies

Request information about a Watershed Assessment/Study or TMDL Implementation Plan:

To request more information about a published watershed assessment or implementation plan, as well as inquire about the development of TMDL stormwater implementation plans and opportunities open for public comment, please email the DPW Customer Service office at [email protected] and specify that the message be forwarded to BWPR staff.

Maps, Apps, & Tools for Residents

• BWPR Watershed Mapping Application - Explore layers of data relating to environmental features and existing stormwater infrastructure in Anne Arundel County.
• BWPR Watershed Restoration Projects Application - Explore recent and upcoming restoration projects around the County. 
• Watershed Protection & Restoration Fee Mapping Application - Determine how much your property is taxed for the Watershed Protection & Restoration Fee.
• BMP Credit Calculator - Estimate potential impervious surface restoration and pollutant reduction credits for a proposed restoration project site.
• Restoration Estimator Tool - Select a single BMP or a combination of BMPs on a map to generate a report that describes the potential restoration credit, pollutant reductions, and landowners near a proposed restoration project site.
• Fish Atlas ArcGIS Story Map - Learn about the most and least common fish species found in Anne Arundel County waterways over the 2017-2021 non-tidal Biological Monitoring Program.

Watershed Management Tool (WMT)

All assessment information are compiled and housed in the GIS interfaced Watershed Management Tool (WMT). The WMT consists of several components. The first component is a GIS-interfaced data repository in which all environmental data pertaining to waterways and land is stored, maintained, and updated.  A second component consists of several engineering models that are used to evaluate existing and future conditions of hydrology, hydraulics, and water quality.  A third component consists of a statistical model for performing exploratory correlation analysis to identity watershed stressors and their relationship to select watershed health indicators.  The final component is a rating and prioritization analysis for streams and subwatersheds.  This analysis is aimed at prioritizing restoration and preservation recommendation actions and includes a cost/benefit analysis, feasibility study, and development of conceptual plans.