Cowhide Branch runs past the Westfield Shoppingtown Annapolis (Annapolis Mall) and the newly constructed Anne Arundel Medical Center. It joins Weems Creek at the Route 50 bridge.
Issues
Check Dam
There is a check dam at Route 50 that keeps fish from traveling up the creek.
Failed retention pond
A retention pond at Jennifer Road does not drain properly after rain events.
Medical Parkway Construction
Plans to build Medical Parkway from Jennifer Road to Bestgate Road are underway. The parkway will cross over Cowhide Branch, disturbing an already fragile creek.
Route 2/Route 50 Interchange
There are plans to re-construct the Route 2/Route 50 interchange and extend Route 2 to Jennifer Road. This will impact Cowhide Branch, including the retention pond at the current interchange.
Status
Improvement of Retention pond at Route 2/Route 50 interchange February, 2002
The State Highway Administration's plans for the new Route 2/Route 50 interchange include a retrofit
of the retention pond that exists at that interchange and feeds Cowhide Branch. The newly designed retention pond will manage 1-year storm events, which is the current state of the art. (The current pond was designed to manage 2/10-year storm events, which means the more common 1-year events are not managed at all. This was accepted practice at the time the pond was built, but is now considered a poor stormwater management system.) The new pond design also addresses water quality, which the old pond design did not address.
Lower Cowhide Branch Improvements February, 2002
The County is finalizing designs to address problems in the lower portion of Cowhide Branch, from the SHA outfall (that links to the retention pond discussed above) to the confluence with Weems Creek. These plans will introduce a "pool and weir" system to slow down water flow and filter nutrients and sediment to improve water quality.
Upper Cowhide Branch Improvements February, 2002
The County is also working to improve the upper portion of Cowhide Branch by redesigning the stormwater management ponds near Westfield Shoppingtown Annapolis. These ponds will also be improved to the current standards of managing 1-year storm events. This work is being coordinated with the work at Medical Parkway and the lower Branch.
Mitigation for Medical Parkway Summer, 2001
Anne Arundel County has agreed to provide mitigation for Medical Parkway construction by improving the Porter Drive Outfall. Original plans were for a "like-kind, out of watershed" mitigation on the Magothy River. The Conservancy convinced the county to provide "unlike-kind, in the watershed" mitigation instead.