Howard County Bird Club
Waterford Flats
Shorebird Habitat Area on Sharps at Waterford Farm
Design and Construction
The project is a shallow water Impoundment with an earthen dike and a standpipe that can be adjusted to raise and lower the water level. It involved grading, dike construction, and pipe construction; the construction effort was monitored by the Howard County Soil Conservation District. It has been the most extensive joint effort undertaken by the Howard County Bird Club to date. (Select diagram to enlarge.)
Construction kick-off meeting September 15, 2020
Construction work in progress October 1-30, 2020
Controlling the water flow
In early August 2022, Chuck Sharp stopped Gregg Petersen to tell him that the bird club had one last task for the Waterford Flats project: installing a new water control structure before the end of September 2022 when his fall tourist season started.
Fifteen months later, on October 5, 2023, Jeff Swan helped Gregg complete what we think was one of the last tasks: swapping out the slotted drain pipe for the winter to cause water to flow to the left or north of the flats to form a duck pond at the “Horseshoe” for the winter.
Participants in the work tasks over the 15 months: Waterford Flats Committee Chair Russ Ruffing, original WF Committee chair and structure designer Wes Earp, WF committee members David Sandler and Gregg Petersen, HCBC Secretary Chuck Stirrat, and Jeff Swan (husband of HCBC member, Val Swan).
