BlueLine identified a 1.2 mile segment of highly degraded stream in the Middle Potomac watershed of Virginia and led the underwriting, capital formation, design, permitting and construction of the resulting Living Waters Nutrient Bank. This project was permitted and approved in July 2023 for a Nutrient Reduction Implementation Plan which is projected to reduce 538 lbs of Phosphorus, 1,625 lbs of Nitrogen and 800,860 lbs of sediment from the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries. BlueLine now leads the sales of the DEQ released Nutrient Credits.
The project proposed and received approval for an alternative stream restoration methodology which took the novel approach of reconnecting the stream with its floodplain by raising the stream rather than by lowering the stream banks as is industry norm. A first for Virginia, this methodology – which used over 70 in-stream dams and structures, avoided heavy grading, mature hardwood tree loss and unnecessary habitat destruction. Several new projects in the Commonwealth have now adopted this methodology due to its enhanced ecological uplift.
