Posted on May 29, 2026
Newport Bay Partnership Update—May 2026
Newport Bay is the most polluted of the five bays on Maryland’s coast. It’s also the least healthy, receiving a C- on the Maryland Coastal Bays 2023 Annual Report Card due to the very poor levels of seagrass and hard clams, indicator species that reflect the health of the bay.
Restoring Newport Bay means restoring streams that feed into that watershed. That’s the mission of the Newport Bay Partnership, a coalition that includes Maryland Coastal Bays Program, Lower Shore Land Trust, Assateague Coastal Trust, the Town of Berlin, and Worcester County.
The Newport Bay Partnership’s first project is restoring the Hudson Branch stream that travels through the Town of Berlin. The Hudson Branch stream has been modified over the years, with dual culverts placed under Assateague Road. This has led to an increased volume of rainwater traveling quickly through the stream, leading to deep stream channels, destabilized stream banks, and a reduced connection to its natural floodplain.
The partnership is working to re-establish a more natural meandering stream channel and floodplain. By slowing and spreading out the stormwater, pollution and sediment picked up from streets and yards can be filtered out along the way to the bay. Flood risks will also be reduced.
Part of the restoration effort will include planting 300 native trees and 400 native shrubs after the more natural flood plain is constructed. Planting with native species will create a healthy wetland and help stabilize the stream banks. Deeper pools will be created to provide habitat for fish and other aquatic life, especially during drought conditions.
This project is part of the Newport Bay Partnership, which will implement water quality improvement projects throughout the watershed. This is the first major restoration project of the partnership, which is currently funded for five years. In future years, projects will be implemented in other areas of the watershed, including septic to sewer conversion projects, working with rural landowners to implement best management practices, and implementing salt marsh restoration. Ten million dollars has been allocated by the State of Maryland through the Whole Watershed Program to support work in the Newport Bay Watershed.
To learn more about the project, visit: The Town of Berlin website or the Maryland Coastal Bays website.
Deep stream channels in the Hudson Branch stream will be restored to a more natural meandering stream channel to slow and filter stormwater as it makes it way to Newport Bay.
Categories: News
Tags: #HudsonBranchRestoration
