Several regional stormwater control facilities are located in the watershed, including ponds controlling drainage from Montgomery Mall, the office parks at Democracy and I-270, and several headwater areas in the upper watershed. These ponds treat runoff from only a small part of the highly developed areas of the watershed.

Uncontrolled runoff in Cabin John has resulted in seriously impaired habitat throughout the watershed. Impacts have included accelerated stream channel downcutting and widening of channels which has undermined and toppled trees. Exposed sanitary sewer lines, in many cases originally buried 10 -20 feet below the bottom of stream channels, are a common occurrence in Cabin John, as in some other urban County watersheds. Booze Creek in particular has been adversely affected by stormflow impacts to the sewer system. Many problems can develop when sanitary sewer systems are exposed, including leakage of raw sewage into the streams. Repair of these systems is costly and requires temporary construction impacts to the stream system.

Despite the overall fair/poor quality of the stream conditions in Cabin John, there are still three remaining tributaries that maintain a good resource condition. These tributaries, Buck Branch, Ken Branch and the Congressional tributary, support a diverse community of insectivorous fish species. The presence of this fish community is reassuring evidence that polluted runoff has not become a chronic problem and that habitat still provides in-stream cover adequate to support the fish and benthic macroinvertebrate community.

Observant visitors to the lower Cabin John mainstem, where the fish community is influenced by proximity to the Potomac mainstem, may eventually be rewarded with sightings of large golden redhorse (a sucker species) resting quietly on the bottom of deep pools or swimming quickly through shallow areas. This species was identified in monitoring efforts during the summer of 1996 and added a new species to the overall County fish list.

To help address the chronic problems associated with urban stream degradation in Cabin John, development of a watershed restoration action plan is scheduled to begin in 1999 to identify goals and target capital improvement projects and stream restoration needs.

Cabin John Creek Biological Integrity, Habitat Conditions, and Management Category

Cabin John Creek Watershed Management Categories

Management of the stream resources in this watershed includes activities by the City of Rockville in the upper part of the watershed, and upcoming efforts to develop a watershed restoration action plan by Montgomery County DEP.

In addition, the Potomac Subregion Master Plan Study is currently underway, covering the Cabin John watershed west of the mainstem, which will include an examination of land use and stream condition relationships. Watershed management approaches will be updated in the CSPS as necessary to respond to land use recommendations.

Watershed Protection Areas

Remedial level of protection

The three tributaries in this management category, Buck Branch, Ken Branch, and Congressional Tributary, include the stream reaches that have good stream conditions although problems in the habitat condition are being observed in all three of these drainages as a result of uncontrolled stormflows and sediment deposition. Remedial actions, which include addressing accelerated stream bank erosion and preservation of refugia, are recommended as part of comprehensive efforts to restore the watershed, in order to avoid deterioration in overall conditions and maintain and improve biological function.

• Conduct additional biological monitoring to update preliminary assessments.
• Study and implement remedial protection measures as part of a comprehensive watershed restoration action plan, to begin in FY99.
• Further evaluate relationships between land use and stream conditions through the Potomac Subregion Master Plan Study.

Watershed Restoration Areas

The majority of the tributaries in the watershed fall into this category, including Upper Mainstem, Bogley Branch, Old Farm Branch, Snakeden Branch, Middle Mainstem, Lower Booze Creek, and the Lower Mainstem.

• Study and implement stormwater retrofit and stream restoration measures as part of a comprehensive watershed restoration action plan, to begin in FY99.
• Ongoing application and enforcement of existing environmental regulations and guidelines.

Urban Stream Management Areas

Two tributaries in Cabin John are recommended for this management category - Beltway Branch and Upper Booze Creek. Streams in these areas have been highly altered by land use, and implementing water quality improvements and pollution prevention efforts will be the most effective management tools to ensure that impacts to downstream reaches are minimized. Limited areas of stream channel stabilization may be warranted to address specific erosion problems, but the likelihood of restoring highly functioning biological communities in these areas is unlikely.

• Identification and implementation of pollution prevention efforts and erosion control measures as part of the Cabin John Watershed Restoration Action Plan to begin in FY99.

Maps
Land Cover	Impervious Area	Stream Condition	Management Categories

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