A Charles County creek regarded as one of the Chesapeake Bay's best remaining fish spawning areas has been ranked among the nation's most endangered rivers because of plans for a highway and development across the creek's watershed.
Mattawoman Creek, a mostly forested Potomac River tributary that also harbors rare plants, abundant waterfowl and bald eagles, made the list published Tuesday by the environmental group American Rivers. "The river's really at a turning point," said Katherine Baer, a top official with the group, which annually puts out a list of the 10 most endangered waterways.
She said American Rivers hopes publicity about the 27-mile creek will increase pressure on the state to block a $60 million highway that Charles County wants to build through the heart of the creek's drainage area.
The county is seeking permits to destroy more than 7 acres of wetlands along the six-mile route of the proposed Cross-County Connector, which would cross the creek. County officials say the four-lane highway is needed to serve a long-designated growth area in northern Charles and to relieve dangerous traffic congestion on winding two-lane country roads.
But recent monitoring suggests that the creek already shows signs of stress from development, and activists warn that the highway will hasten its demise by opening more of its 95-square-mile watershed to homes and pavement.
"Basically this highway is just going to lead to more sprawl, traffic and dirty water," Baer said. "This is a perfect opportunity to make the right decision, to not build a road that's not needed and to protect the Mattawoman, one of the gems of the Chesapeake."
The Maryland Department of the Environment plans to decide by June 1 whether to approve permits needed by the county to build the highway, spokeswoman Dawn Stoltzfus said. The state delayed its decision last fall to request more information from the county.
The state is still looking for answers about how the county intends to protect particularly pristine parts of the creek and to replace wetlands that would be lost, she said.
The highway itself is seen as likely to spur development. A state environmental official wrote that construction of the connector "will certainly lead to additional impacts and further compromise the Mattawoman Watershed and its living resources."
County officials point out that northern Charles has been designated a growth area for more than a decade, and they have invested in water and sewer to serve it.
