Neighbors debate dredging of Old Place Creek

Neighbors debate dredging of Old Place Creek

By PAMELA WOOD, Staff Writer

On a Crownsville creek, neighbors have aligned themselves on opposite sides of a classic debate between preserving the environment and enjoying use of the water.

A group of residents on Old Place Creek, also known as Fox Creek, are asking the state for permission to dredge a channel into the creek near Herald Harbor.

If the dredging isn't done, they won't be able to take their boats in and out of the creek, they argue. And the dredging is needed to allow the water to flow in and out of the creek better.

But others say the dredging could harm delicate spawning grounds for yellow perch and other animals.

"I wholly support private property rights, but we need to get a handle on what we do in the public domain," said Margeurite Whilden, a diamondback terrapin expert who is working to re-establish the species in the Severn River.

She was one of a dozen people who testified against the dredging project during a hearing held Thursday in Annapolis by the Maryland Department of the Environment.

The plan, filed by a group of homeowners calling themselves Fox Creek Associates, calls for dredging a channel at the entrance to the creek that is 463 feet long and 15 to 20 feet wide. It would bring the water depth to 3 feet.

While the creek is up to 25 feet deep, some say, sandbars at the mouth of the creek form a shallow, narrow channel only navigable to kayaks, canoes and small motorboats.

Max Naftchi, who filed the application on behalf of the neighbors, said he doesn't think the dredging will cause any environmental problems. If it did, he wouldn't support it.

"We share the concerns of everyone else," he said. "We do want to get in and out. That's all we're asking for."

The group of about a dozen neighbors is not asking the state for any money, just permission to disturb the creek.

The proposal calls for less dredging - creating a smaller and shallower
channel - than the original proposal submitted a few years ago.

That still doesn't sit well with some homeowners, like Margaret Martin, who said she walks out on the sandbar with her family to catch crabs.

"What do we value in this environment?" she asked. "Do you want Old Place Creek to look like Back Creek, or do you want Old Place Creek to look like Old Place Creek?"

Others said they're concerned a deeper channel will draw more and larger boats to the creek. Those boats could disturb underwater grasses, create wakes and spill gas and oil into the water. Right now, the creek is home mostly to kayaks and canoes.

"The delicate balance will be disrupted," said resident Steven Green.

Eric Zacharias, who lives on the creek near the headwaters, said he's worried about what the creek will look like after the dredging. He fears his already-shallow waterfront will disappear.

"What's going to happen to my property values when I'm no longer waterfront and I'm mud-front at low tide?" he asked.

Mr. Zacharias and several other neighbors said they delight in seeing fish carve circles in the mud during spawning times. They fear the fish will be forced out by the dredging.

"This is worth fighting for and not worth dredging," he said.

But Curt Fisher, who lives at the mouth of the creek, said the dredging will help the creek flush out better. For one month this summer, he said the creek water was unbearable to smell or touch, full of oil and trash. It's gotten worse since Tropical Storm Isabel hit in 2003.

"The water is disgusting. It comes in and it sits," said Mr. Fisher, one of eight people who testified in favor of the dredging. "There has to be some sort of in and out to get that creek clean."

While the two groups couldn't disagree more, they remain polite - even friendly - about the issue.

After the hearing, residents on both sides chatted for several minutes about the dredging and other issues.

Mr. Fisher talked with Scott Hymes - who opposes the dredging - about natural ways to control shoreline erosion.

"I hate to go against my neighbors, good people that I know," Mr. Hymes said.

The MDE will review the proposal and forward its recommendation to the Board of Public Works for a final decision.

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pwood@capitalgazette.com