The Trustees considered numerous restoration alternatives to compensate the public for injuries to natural resources. Restoration was initially focused on removing a dam just upstream of the site, however this was not chosen due to dam ownership issues. After review the Trustees finalized the Scotchman Creek restoration plan based on the anticipated ecological benefits to anadromous fish, project cost-effectiveness and overall need for restoration within the Elk River watershed.

This project involves the removal of a partial fish blockage and stream restoration at Scotchman Creek at Mill Lane in Cecil County, Maryland. This area is documented spawning ground for striped bass, white perch, alewife, and blueback herring. Historically, Scotchman Creek and the Bohemia River produced some of the highest counts of striped bass juveniles in the Chesapeake Bay. Fish blockage removal and stream restoration at Scotchman Creek will restore 1000 linear feet of stream and open an additional 2.2 miles of habitat for anadromous fish and the American eel.

The comprehensive plan includes multiple restoration features (1) fish blockage removal at the site of the former earthen embankment (2) stream restoration (3) enhancement of approximately 2.5 acres of shallow water emergent marsh (4) invasive plant species removal (5) creation of vernal pool habitat and (6) placement of large woody debris. The comprehensive plan exceeds the available funding through the Spectron settlement. Therefore additional funding sources have been identified for wetland and vernal pool restoration, placement of large woody debris and invasive species control.