Maryland Waterway Improvement Fund Provides $20 Million in Capital Grants for Public Boating Access, Navigable Waterways and Safety
The Maryland Department of Natural Resources will distribute $20 million in Waterway Improvement Fund grants for Fiscal Year 2026, starting July 1st. The funding will support public boating access, waterway dredging, emergency response equipment, and other infrastructure projects. Funded by boat excise taxes and a portion of the state gas tax, the program has helped develop over 400 boating facilities and 250 navigation channels. Project selections are based on state and local priorities. Applications for FY 2027 will open July 15th via the DNR鈥檚 online Grants Gateway.
Additional Information from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources:
The Waterway Improvement Fund is primarily derived from the one-time 5% excise tax when a boat is purchased and titled in the state, as well as a small portion of the state gas tax. It has been used to construct and maintain more than 400 public boating facilities, 250 public navigational channels, and to acquire vessels.聽
Applications are reviewed and projects are selected based on local government and state priorities, which are evaluated to determine the benefit to the general boating public. Fiscal Year 2026 applications totaled more than $42.8 million in Waterway Improvement Fund requests.聽
Beginning July 15, the Department of Natural Resources will accept Waterway Improvement Fund applications for the next fiscal year through the department鈥檚聽online 鈥婫rants Gateway.
Projects funded in FY26 include:
Wicomico County:
Leonards Mill Park boat ramp replacement and improvements
$250,000
Nanticoke Harbor boat ramp replacement
$75,000
Cedar Hill Boat Ramp Reconstruction in Bivalve
$250,000
Worcester County:
George Island Landing boating facility improvements
$250,000
Pocomoke State Park Shad Landing Marina improvements
$1 million
Dorchester County:
Cambridge Municipal Marina wave attenuator
$250,000
Cambridge Municipal Marina replacement of timber decking
$250,000
Somerset County:
Somers Cove Marina bulkhead replacement and facility improvements
$4.5 million
Reconstruction of Somerset County dock in Ewell
$350,000
Shoreline protection for the navigable channel at Ewell Basin
$50,000
Renovation of public boating infrastructure at Ewell Basin
$75,000
Construction of a stone breakwater to protect the Tylerton Harbor
$400,000
Caroline County:
Replacement of bulkhead at Crouse Park
$225,000
Greensboro boating facility and parking/access road improvements
$75,000
Queen Anne鈥檚 County:
Phase 2 dredging of Queenstown Creek channel and beneficial use of material
$1.5 million
Evaluation and engineering for Kent Narrows jetty
$75,000
United Communities Volunteer Fire and Rescue Department vessel and equipment
$80,000
Kent Island Volunteer Fire Department Rescue Vessel and equipment
$80,000
Talbot County:
Channel dredging at Clairborne Landing
$50,000
Replacement of the bulkhead and boating structures at Tilghman Street in Oxford
$250,000
St. Michaels West Harbor Road and Chew Avenue public marina improvements
$150,000
Boating facility improvements on Tilghman Creek聽
$75,000