Two stabilization projects recently wrapped up along portions of the shoreline at Naval Air Station Patuxent (Pax) River and Navy Recreation Center Solomons.

Work to 600-feet of Pax shoreline across from the Goose Creek Campground had been underway since mid-April, along with 820 feet of north shoreline work at Solomons since mid-May. Both projects were completed in July.

"The seawall that runs from Goose Creek inlet to the Chesapeake basin was very old and failing, creating land erosion and bay sedimentation issues," explained Jackie Smith, Pax River natural resources specialist. "The Pax project constructed a revetment with rip-rap and large rock to encase the seawall and stabilize the shoreline."

Smith explained excess sediment from shoreline erosion can enter the bay, clouding the waters and harming underwater grasses, fish and shellfish; and is one of the leading causes of the bay's poor health.

"At Solomons, the shoreline embankment north of the fishing pier had been collapsing, not only creating land erosion and bay sedimentation issues, but also safety concerns at the top of the bank where [Morale, Welfare, and Recreation] (MWR) picnic pavilions are located," Smith said. "That project constructed a beach at the toe, or lowest part, of the slope to stabilize the embankment."

Both projects were conducted through the Southern Maryland Resource Conservation & Development Board and county Soil Conservation District offices, and while there had been minimal impact to recreational users at both the Pax and Solomons project sites, there was no operational impact at either location.

Additional work, still being coordinated, will encompass more than 4,000 linear feet of shoreline adjacent to the Gold Coast housing community, and is expected to begin later this year.

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