The Maidford River Watershed Pilot Project

SNEP Network partners are assisting the Town of Middletown and Aquidneck Land Trust with planning and design for nature-based solutions to reduce flooding and improve water quality of the Maidford River and downstream receiving waters which include two sources of Aquidneck Island’s water supply, Nelson and Gardiners Ponds. This project implements recommendations of local watershed plans to increase the river’s flood storage capacity by creating meanders and floodplain storage, and replacing culverts that restrict flow and contribute to flooding.  Project partners are also working with property owners to restore the river’s riparian buffer by allowing the land adjacent to the river to return to a more natural condition.  These efforts complement ongoing work to improve the river’s water quality including construction of controls to treat runoff from roads and improved agricultural practices.

Check out the Maidford River Restoration Project Presentation at the 2022 SNEP Symposium on ‘A Partnership Approach to Restoring the Maidford’.

Read the Maidford River Restoration Project Case Study: Collaborative Approach to Watershed Scale Restoration Using Nature Based Solutions.