Paint Branch is getting some much-needed love as workers help restore the 14-mile stream that runs from Montgomery County through Route 1 into College Park and is a major tributary to the Anacostia River.

As with many urban streams, Paint Branch has suffered from erosion, poor water quality and increased runoff and blockages that make it harder for fish to migrate.

As part of the Purple Line mass transit project, the state agreed to restore the stream along a stretch behind the College Park airport.

The project includes log vanes which mimic the effects of fallen trees, helping slow the flow of water and preventing erosion; stone toes which shore up stream banks; and riffle-pool sequences which help transition from deeper to shallower areas.

Various bushes and trees will also be planted along the stream banks to help reduce runoff during storms and prevent erosion.

In recent years, the University of Maryland has also restored sections of the stream that run through campus in order to provide more areas for native river herring to spawn.

You can conveniently access a scenic part of the Paint Branch stream off the Trolley Trail after crossing Campus Drive on your way to Lake Artemisia. There is a trail to several access points on the stream on your left just before the bridge.

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