On April 22, 2024, GreenVest recognized Earth Day in a significant way by gathering with project partners adjacent to Coleman Creek on the banks of the Patuxent River to celebrate the groundbreaking of the Eagle Harbor Stream Restoration & Community Resiliency Project. This event marked construction of a project that will address persistent flooding in this riverside community, foster an investment of resources and environmental justice to boost resilience in a town with rich history, and improve water quality entering the Chesapeake Bay. The project includes the restoration and stabilization of 3,100 feet of Coleman Creek and two headwater tributaries that flow into the Patuxent River. Additionally, undersized roadway culverts will be replaced to attenuate persistent nuisance flooding that has damaged private property and impaired public safety.
Coleman Creek and the Patuxent Waterfront are central amenities for The Town, and are integral to its character, culture, and history. Eagle Harbor, often called “Paradise on the Patuxent,” was initially founded in 1925 as a resort-style community for Washington-area African Americans. Prior to establishment of the Town, Trueman Point at the Town’s northern tip served as a river port for Aquasco farmers and perhaps a place where enslaved people were brought into Maryland. The injustices experienced by Black people in this area evolved over the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, and now manifest as poor environmental conditions and a chronic lack of investment in environmental restoration, remediation, and resiliency that the Town and its partners are working to address.
The project will help the Town achieve several goals and strategies outlined in their Eagle Harbor 2025: Planning for a Sustainable Community plan: achieving coastal resilience, improving the functionality and appearance of Coleman Creek, and expanding, protecting, and preserving existing green infrastructure. This project, in conjunction with other planned projects in Eagle Harbor will result in comprehensive and cohesive uplift for a self-sustaining and more resilient coastal ecosystem and community. GreenVest is proud to be part of the team that is helping the Town achieve its sustainability and resiliency goals.
GV-Petro Joint Venture, LLC (a partnership between GreenVest and Petro Design Build Group) joined project partners Prince George’s County Department of the Environment (DOE) and Department of Public Works & Transportation, The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR), and Biohabitats to mark the occasion. Additional project partners include Zest, LLC, Meadville Land Service, Inc., and D&F Construction. The project was funded by the DNR and Prince George’s County.
Other notable attendees included the Town of Eagle Harbor’s Mayor Dr. Noah Waters, Grant Writer Linda Moore-Garoute, and Town Commissioners, Prince George’s County Council Chair and District 5 Representative Jolene Ivey, Patuxent Riverkeeper Frederick Tutman, and members of the community. Baseline data collection, design, engineering, and permitting was completed this past winter with construction commencing this spring. Construction is expected to be completed in Fall 2024, with a 5-year maintenance and monitoring period to follow.
