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DRAFT Centreville Community Plan Update – Chapter IV
IV. Natural Environment
The Town of Centreville lies within the gently rolling landscape of the Corsica River watershed,
at the confluence of the Corsica River and its main tributary streams. All rainwater that falls
within the Town and the 40-square mile watershed makes its way to the Corsica River through
many small and intermittent streams that extend eastward from the River to points beyond
Centreville. The natural resources and environmentally sensitive areas within the Town are
discussed in this section of the report.
EXISTING CONDITIONS
Corsica River, Tributary Streams and Stream Buffers
The Corsica River flows northwest about five miles from the Watson Road Bridge, near the
western edge of Town, before entering the Chester River. The Chester River is one of the
Chesapeake Bay’s major tributaries, merging with the Bay at Love Point. The River’s main tidal
tributaries are Yellow Bank and Mill Stream. Three-Bridge Branch and Gravel Run extend from
the Yellow Branch eastward as non-tidal streams and the Old Mill Stream extends from Mill
Steam southeastward as a non-tidal stream to points east and south of U.S. Route 301. Map ___
shows the major streams in and around Centreville along with their wetlands and floodplains.
The Town’s streams are generally buffered in woody vegetation and have natural shorelines. A
steam buffer (riparian buffer) is an integral part of the natural resource. It is the area of land
extending outward from the top of the steam bank. Wide and naturally vegetated buffers
protect the health and vitality of streams, while narrow and urbanized buffers, lead to stream
warming and allow excess pollutants and sediments to pass into the water. To achieve the
optimum protection of a stream’s water quality, buffers would be naturally vegetated, fully
encompass their floodplains and, where possible, be at least 100 to 300 feet wide.

DRAFT Centreville Community Plan Update – Chapter IV
Floodplains
Map __ also shows the floodplains in Centreville. The Federal Emergency Management Agency
(FEMA) regularly maps the 100-year floodplains, areas having a 1% chance of flooding in any
given year. Within its boundaries, the Town regulates development activities in the floodplain
through the Floodplain Management Ordinance. The floodplains are directly associated with
the Corsica and its tributary streams. As shown in Map ___, it is generally the case that the
Town’s floodplains are undeveloped and mostly in a forested or wetland conditions.
Map ___
This map is a stand in while the update map is being drafted.

DRAFT Centreville Community Plan Update – Chapter IV
Wetlands
Map ____ also shows the Town’s tidal and non-tidal wetlands which for the most part are closely
associated with the Corsica and its tributaries. These wetlands attenuate flooding, prevent
shoreline erosion, help maintain the water quality of the Corsica River, Chester River and by
extension the Chesapeake Bay, and provide habitat for native plants and wildlife. Development
activities within or impacting wetlands are regulated by State and federal agencies.
Steep Slopes
The Town’s landscape, like the overall Corsica River watershed, in gently rolling. Steep slopes,
which are hillsides with grades 15% or greater, are confined to the wooded shorelines of the
Yellow Branch of the Corsica and the other streams that extend into forested or otherwise
undeveloped portions of the Town. Land disturbance on these slopes could lead to soil erosion
and stormwater and pollutant runoff.
Forests
Map___ also shows areas in Town covered in forests including very small forest stands and
wooded backyards. Forests provide many ecological benefits including producing oxygen,
protecting streams and groundwater quality, moderating localized temperatures, providing
habitat for wildlife and birds, and capturing carbon dioxide (CO2) from the air and sequestering
carbon. A single tree can remove many tons of carbon from the air over its lifetime.
The remaining forested lands in and around Centreville are aligned with streams and wetlands,
typically areas that could not readily be put to aquicultural use. In fact, the three most
significant forested areas extend along streams radiating eastward from the Corsica River. They
are fragmented into long corridors that extend into and beyond the Town’s Growth Area. While
they provide residual water quality benefits, they bear no resemblance to their pre-agricultural
extent and function. The preservation of these remaining forests is vital to the maintain the
current health of the Corsica River; their expansion is vital to restoring the River’s health.

DRAFT Centreville Community Plan Update – Chapter IV
Chesapeake Bay Critical Area
The Town is required by the State of Maryland to administer regulations limiting the use and
development of land within 1,000 feet of tidal waters, an area known as the Chesapeake Bay
Critical Area (see Map ____). All lands within 1,000 of the Bay, its tributaries, and tidal marshes are
designated as the Critical Area. Properties within the Critical Area are designated one of three
categories: Intensely Developed Area (IDA), Limited Development Area (LDA), and Resource
Conservation Area (RCA). The rules and criteria for classifying properties into these categories
are set forth in the Critical Area regulations (found in the Town’s Zoning Ordinance).
Intensely Developed Area: The IDA is meant for the intensely developed areas where houses,
businesses, marinas, parking lots, etc. were constructed mostly before the State’s adoption of the
Critical Area Program in the 1980’s. The IDA generally coincides with development that has
substantially altered the natural capability of the land to protect the quality of water. This area is
shown in red on the Map. The IDA classification does not significantly restrict development but
does require that applicants for development / redevelopment put measures into place when
developing land that can reduce stormwater pollutant runoff by at least 10% below pre-
development conditions.
Limited Development Area: The LDA designation is meant for those areas, where limiting the
amount of additional land development (i.e., the coverage of the land with impervious surfaces
such as buildings and parking lots), will protect water quality. This coincides with areas of less
intensive development than the IDA and is shown in yellow on the Map. The LDA classification
places significant limitations on development, requiring for example that no more than 15% of a
lot be covered with impervious surfaces and requiring the protection of forests.
Resource Conservation Area: The RCA is meant to cover the most sensitive parts of the Critical
Area, such as intact riverine forests, natural shorelines, wetlands, and wildlife habitats; areas that
function naturally to protect the Bay’s water quality and wildlife. These area are shown in green
on Map ____.
Insert Critical Area Map

DRAFT Centreville Community Plan Update – Chapter IV
Impacts of Sea Level Rise
The Chesapeake Bay is rising but because of the Town’s limited amount of developed
shoreline, the Town is not very vulnerable to the effects of sea level rise like coastal
communities1. However, sea level rise will impact the Town’s shorelines, wetlands and the
floodplains of the Corsica River and the tidal parts of other streams. Impacts may include
shoreline erosion, deterioration of tidal wetlands, rising groundwater, and nuisance flooding in
lower lying riverine areas.
The exhibits below are from the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration
(NOAA) Sea Level Rise Viewer. The first image shows the areas of open water as they are today,
which coincide with the Corsica River and the main branches of its tributary streams. The second
exhibit shows an expanded open water scenario under the assumption that sea levels rise 2.0
feet above the year 2000 levels. The Maryland Commission on Climate Change projects, with
high confidence, that by 2050 area sea levels will rise 2.1 feet over the levels measured in 2000.
Should this come to pass, the Town could expect through the lifetime of this Plan that
floodplains will be enlarged, flooding will be more severe and frequent, and that tidal wetlands
will extend further upland as hydrologic conditions come to favor wetland vegetation. As a
general guide, protecting these areas over the next decades would become increasingly
important; applying the floodplain management ordinance will be especially important.
Existing Projected
1 In its 2018 report, Sea Level Rise Projections for Maryland, the Maryland Commission on Climate Change (MCCC) noted that the
Bay’s water levels have been rising for a long time, since Last Ice Age actually, as the Bay filled up and coastal Maryland settled
(which is still happening). But during the 20th century, with warming waters and glacial melt, the oceans began to expand their
volumes steadily and rise. Now, well into the 21st century, the warming of the earth is accelerating and so is the rise of the tidal
water throughout the Chesapeake Bay region.

DRAFT Centreville Community Plan Update – Chapter IV
A PLAN FOR NATURAL RESOURCES
Objectives
• As new development occurs within the Centreville Growth area, every effort should be
made to ensure that it is designed and built to avoid and/or minimize adverse impacts
to environmentally sensitive areas.
• Preserve, protect, and grow the remaining natural resource features and sensitive areas
and the key roles they play in sustaining life and property in and around Centreville.
• Use the preservation of natural areas as a means of linking the Town as it grows with
natural and recreational assets.
• As Bay water levels rise along the tidal portion of streams, where possible accommodate
the natural migration of wetlands and natural vegetation so that stream buffers can
continue to function to improve water quality and minimize flooding.
• Cultivate a love for the outdoors and greater access to the shorelines and forested
steam buffers throughout the town.
Recommendations
Modernize Critical Are Regulations, Forest Conservation
The Town should continue to update its Critical Area Program and Ordinance, as required by
State law, to be consistent with changes that occur to the State Critical Area law and to reflect
the unique context of Centreville. Likewise, the Forest Conservation Ordinance needs to be
updated especially considering the opportunities arising from development in the Town and
other recommendations related to forest regeneration and stream protection.
Protect Stream Buffers
The Town should adopt stream buffer protection regulations in the Zoning Ordinance that will
encompass lands outside of the Critical Area as well as within. To the extent possible, a 100-foot
no-disturbance buffer should be adopted for perennial streams and a 50-foot buffer for
intermittent streams.

DRAFT Centreville Community Plan Update – Chapter IV
Protect Sensitive Environmental Areas
Perennial and intermittent streams and adjoining natural buffers, habitats of threatened and
endangered species (where present), wetlands, slopes of 15 percent or greater, and the forests
shown on Map __ should be protected from the adverse effects of development. With respect
to each of these “sensitive areas” within Centreville some level of protection is already in place
through either local, state, and/or federal regulations These regulations generally prevent or
minimize the effects of development or require that any impacts are mitigated when they may
be unavoidable. To ensure that the regulations and standards are implemented the Town must
insist on high quality site design, professionally engineered land planning, and thoughtful early
reviews of concept plans so that sensitive areas can be identified, and plans drawn to offer the
greatest protection. Thoughtful planning can promote the growth and resilience of natural
areas, for example by designating lands adjacent to existing stream buffers for afforestation and
land preservation.
Transform the Growth Area into High Value Ecologically Sustainable Neighborhoods
Over the long term as the Growth Area is developed, this Plan recommends that the Town
guide community development into high value ecologically sustainable ways: for example,
substantial forest regeneration, clustering home sites to minimize the coverage of the land in
impervious surfaces, connecting areas with bike and walking trails to minimize vehicle trips,
using the most advantageous stormwater practices designed to treat stormwater associated
with the most significant rainfall events not just typical rain events, right-sizing the design of
town streets and infrastructure, and developing 100% renewable energy neighborhoods—that
is, Centreville future neighborhoods would be powered by renewable energy sources.
Coordinate with the County, State, and Federal Agencies and Non-Profits
The Town of Centreville provided leadership to the “Corsica River – Watershed Restoration
Action Strategy – Final Report, September 2004”, (WRAS). The effort led to improvements in
measured water quality. More information about this is provided in the Chapter V, Water
Resources.
* * *

DRAFT Centreville Community Plan Update – Chapter IV
What follows is the text from the current community plan. The text
below with strikethrough has been eliminated and the other text has
been incorporated, although in most cases it has been re-worded.
Existing Policies and Regulations
1. Centreville and Queen Anne’s County both have extensive existing policies and
regulations designed to protect and conserve environmentally sensitive areas. Both
jurisdictions have adopted Chesapeake Bay Critical Areas Programs and Ordinances which
comply with State law and have been approved by the Maryland Critical Area Commission.
Both jurisdictions have adopted forest conservation ordinances which are approved by the
State. Both jurisdictions have approved stormwater management and floodplain ordinances. In
addition there are Federal and State regulations in place which protect tidal and nontidal
wetlands located in and around Centreville. The State also regulates groundwater protection
and water quality.
2. Copies of the Town of Centreville’s programs and regulations can be reviewed at the
Town Hall. Copies of Queen Anne’s County’s programs and regulations can be reviewed at the
County Department of Land Use, Growth Management, and Environment.
The Queen Anne’s County 2002 Comprehensive Plan and the County’s Zoning Ordinance
comply with the sensitive area protection mandates of the Maryland Economic Development,
Resource Protection and Planning Act of 1992 (1992 Planning Act, as amended in 1997 to
include an 8th vision). The recommendations contained in this section of the Plan are designed
to address identified gaps in the overall environmental protection program. By addressing
these recommendations the Town will be in compliance with the 1992 Planning Act and
Chesapeake Bay Critical Area law.
The following objectives were developed for the Town’s 1998 Community Plan and have been
incorporated here due to their continued validity:
The Town and County should continue implementation of their existing environmental
protection programs and ordinances and adopt new or refined policies and regulation so as to
comply with changes in State law.
As new development occurs within the Centreville Growth Area, every effort should be made to
ensure that it is designed and built to avoid and/or minimize adverse impacts to
environmentally sensitive areas.
• Perennial and intermittent streams and adjoining natural buffers should be protected
from the adverse effects of development.

DRAFT Centreville Community Plan Update – Chapter IV
• Habitats of threatened and endangered species should be protected from the adverse
effects of development.
• Steep slopes of 15 percent or greater should be protected from the adverse effects of
development.
• Lands within the Chesapeake Bay Critical Area should be protected from the adverse
effects of development as prescribed by the Town and County Critical Area Programs
and Ordinances.
• Nontidal wetlands should be protected from the adverse effects of development as
prescribed by State and Federal Regulations.
• Forested areas should be protected from the adverse effects of development as
prescribed by the Town and County forest conservation regulations as mandated by the
State Forest Conservation Act.
• Floodplain areas should be protected from the adverse effects of development to the
extent that these areas are already protected by Chesapeake Bay Critical Area
regulations, wetland regulations, forest conservation regulations, and proposed stream
buffer regulations.
Specific Environmental Protection Recommendations
The Town of Centreville lies at the heart of the Corsica River Watershed - the confluence of the
river’s three major nontidal sub-watersheds. Queen Anne’s County encompasses all of the land
area outside of the Town of Centreville’s corporate limits that is within the Corsica Watershed.
Accordingly, the Town and County should join in a watershed planning approach directed
specifically toward the health of the Corsica River through the following actions:
1. The Town should continue to update its Critical Area Program and Ordinance to be
consistent with changes that occur to the State Critical Area law. The State Chesapeake Bay
Critical Area Commission provides the Town with the part-time assistance of an environmental
planner who can assist the Town in updating its Critical Area Program and Ordinance.
2. The Town and County should amend their Chesapeake Bay Critical Area programs to
include provisions for “premapping” of potential growth allocation areas in and around
Centreville. This entails the identification of those properties within the Critical Area that may
be eligible for growth allocation based on the Land Use Plan described in Chapter 4 (Land Use
Concept). Premapping is a way to ensure that a property’s Critical Area Classification (RCA,
LDA, IDA) is consistent with the Town’s Community Plan and County’s Comprehensive Plan for
the Centreville area. The actual award of growth allocation should not occur until a property is
ready to develop and it can be demonstrated that growth allocation is necessary and
appropriate. Every effort should be made in the design of future development projects to
minimize the amount of growth allocation needed to develop a property in a manner consistent
with this Plan and Town or County Critical Area regulations, depending on location. The award

DRAFT Centreville Community Plan Update – Chapter IV
of growth allocation for a development project does not exempt the development from any
applicable sensitive area protection regulations contained in the Critical Area Ordinance.
3. The Town should adopt stream buffer protection regulations in its zoning ordinance for
lands outside of the Critical Area. In order for these regulations to be consistent with County
rules, a 100-foot no-disturbance buffer should be adopted for perennial streams and a 50-foot
buffer instituted for intermittent streams.
4. The Town should adopt regulations in its zoning ordinance requiring that larger-scale
development proposals on lands outside of the Critical Area be submitted to the Maryland
Department of Natural Resources (DNR), Heritage and Biodiversity Conservation Program, for
review in order to ensure that any potential adverse impacts to sensitive habitat areas are
avoided. DNR will advise if any special precautions are needed in the design or construction of
the development. Similar reviews already are required for lands within the Town’s Critical Area.
The Town should consider ordinance initiatives related to recommendations for programmatic
change as outlined in the report entitled “Corsica River – Watershed Restoration Action
Strategy – Final Report, September 2004”, (WRAS). Land use regulations recommended in the
WRAS include the following:
a. Ordinance to establish an Urban Growth Boundary, the limits of
which must be consistent with TMDL for a calculated maximum future
conversion of agricultural land.
b. Ordinance establishing a greenbelt together with a per unit
assessment through the building permit process for preservation
targeted only to the greenbelt area.