Press Release
May 19, 2026
Joppa, MD—Chesapeake Legal Alliance (CLA), representing Gunpowder Riverkeeper, alongside the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE), has secured a $4.1 million settlement resolving claims against the developers of the Ridgely’s Reserve housing development for years of sediment pollution impacting Foster Branch and the tidal Gunpowder River.
The settlement with D.R. Horton, Forestar (USA) Real Estate Group Inc., and Kinsley Construction includes:
Beginning in 2022, Gunpowder Riverkeeper, local residents, and community advocates documented repeated sediment discharges flowing immediately south of the 121-acre construction site through Foster Branch and into the Gunpowder River. Some pollution events were so extensive they were visible in satellite imagery captured from space.
“This settlement agreement is the first step in restoring the damage to the tidal Gunpowder basin after years of unchecked sediment pollution,” said Patrick DeArmey, Senior Staff Attorney and Litigation Manager at Chesapeake Legal Alliance. “This case demonstrates the essential role community members play in protecting clean water. Without Gunpowder Riverkeeper and residents who continued documenting and reporting these violations, this outcome would not have been possible.”
In August 2024, attorneys at Chesapeake Legal Alliance issued a Clean Water Act Notice of Intent to Sue on behalf of Gunpowder Riverkeeper. The following month, MDE filed suit in Harford County Circuit Court, and Gunpowder Riverkeeper successfully intervened as a co-plaintiff despite legal challenges from the defendants.
“This was truly a David versus Goliath fight,” said Theaux Le Gardeur, Executive Director and Riverkeeper for Gunpowder Riverkeeper. “Community members refused to stay silent while repeated pollution damaged the river and surrounding ecosystems. This settlement provides meaningful resources for restoration and ensures the Gunpowder community will continue playing a role in protecting these waterways moving forward.”
The settlement directs $2.1 million toward restoration and water quality improvement projects within the Foster Branch and Gunpowder River watersheds, including habitat restoration, stormwater improvements, and aquatic ecosystem recovery efforts administered through the Chesapeake Bay Trust.
The consent decree also requires continued compliance monitoring and imposes significant stipulated penalties for future sediment discharges or failures to comply with pollution control requirements during ongoing construction activities.
CLA and Gunpowder Riverkeeper will continue monitoring implementation of the settlement and advocating for long-term protections for the Gunpowder River and the communities that depend on it.
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Chesapeake Legal Alliance is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to providing free legal services, with a mission to apply the power of the law to protect and restore clean water and promote healthy, resilient ecosystems for communities across the Chesapeake Bay watershed.
Gunpowder Riverkeeper is a grassroots, advocacy-based 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to protecting, conserving, and restoring the Gunpowder, Bird, and Bush Rivers and their watersheds for the benefit of the public. As a member of Waterkeepers Chesapeake and the global Waterkeeper Alliance, Gunpowder Riverkeeper works to safeguard local waterways through advocacy, enforcement, community engagement, and environmental stewardship.
Patrick DeArmey, Senior Attorney and Litigation Manager, Chesapeake Legal Alliance, patrick@chesapeakelegal.org, (410) 216-9441, ext. 207
