Portions of the Fordham Channel had developed serious erosion problems and had thereby become unstable. The erosion of certain portions of the channel was caused by the natural flow of water meandering around fallen trees, displaced stone and collected debris. The erosion is contributing to sedimentation of the Fordham Channel and ultimately the Chesapeake Bay, which is the recipient of the deposits of all the Prince George’s County Maryland tributaries. This accumulation of sedimentation in both the Fordham Channel and the Chesapeake Bay is degrading their water quality, which negatively impacts the ecology of this region.

   The primary goal of the Fordham Channel Drainage project is to widen and stabilize portions of the embankment to reduce sedimentation in the Chesapeake Bay. Embankments were constructed where streambank erosion had taken place and stone was installed in certain areas to help direct the high velocity flows towards the center of the stream channel away from the newly constructed benches. During times of excavation within the active channel, water was diverted around the work area downstream using pumps in order to minimize degradation of the water quality. The existing wetland adjacent to the channel was also regraded to allow for a larger volume of water to collect that overflows from the channel during heavy rainfall. This increase in the size of the wetland serves to protect the park from flooding.

   During and following completion of the project, disturbed areas were covered with erosion control fabric to inhibit surface erosion. The final landscaping consisted of re-vegetating the site with native riparian species including grasses, shrubs and trees to stabilize the site and reduce surface erosion.