By collecting, analyzing, and distributing data on bacteria levels in our waterways, ShoreRivers aims to provide the public with the information needed to make educated decisions about contact with the water. This year, ShoreRivers monitored bacteria levels at 45 sites around the region—a major expansion from last year’s 32 sites—providing a critical public health service for communities and identifying pollution hotspots for future restoration efforts.

A team of citizen scientists called SwimTesters volunteer their time to test these sites weekly between Memorial Day and Labor Day, and generous site sponsors cover a portion of the associated costs. These Swim Testers monitor for enterococci bacteria at popular public access locations, marinas, yacht clubs, and town piers. The program follows the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s standard protocols for collecting and analyzing samples and uses a pass/fail system to determine if bacteria levels are safe or unsafe for swimming. Results can be found during the season at shorerivers.org/swim, and at theswimguide.org, or by following #SwimmableShoreRivers or your local Riverkeeper’s pages on social media.

Multiple years of bacteria monitoring have highlighted sites that consistently show elevated levels of bacteria, indicating a chronic source of pollution that could be caused by failing septic systems, waste from animal farms, or manure fertilizer. Acute sources of bacteria pollution include overflows from wastewater treatment plants and pet or wild animal waste. Of the 45 sites monitored by ShoreRivers SwimTesters this year, nine failed to meet the threshold for safe water contact more than half of the times they were tested. These sites are located on the Choptank River: Red Bridges in Greensboro, Hillsboro Landing, Choptank Marina Beach, Trappe Landing, and Willis Street Beach in Cambridge; in Eastern Bay: Broad Cove near Claiborne; and on the Chester River: Millington Waterfront Park, Morgan Creek Landing, and Broad Neck Landing.

Thanks to generous private donations and funding from the Cornell Douglas Foundation, ShoreRivers has begun tracking the sources of this bacteria pollution. In partnership with Jonah Ventures in Colorado, who works with several other Riverkeeper organizations, ShoreRivers utilized DNA testing over several weeks to identify specific animal sources of this bacterial pollution—whether it be human, poultry, canine, or swine. This new type of testing measures the number of DNA copies found per 100ml of sample water.

“DNA copies do not indicate the presence of active bacteria on their own,” said Chester Riverkeeper Annie Richards. “However, when paired with ShoreRivers bacteria testing for fecal enterococci, we can begin to track patterns between high bacteria levels and the most abundant DNA species present in the water at the time a sample was collected.”

Results from 2022 testing indicate the overwhelming majority of DNA present across our rivers is human, making shoreline septic systems, wastewater treatment outfalls, and illegal marine discharge key sources to monitor in the year ahead.

“DNA testing is another tool in our belt to help ShoreRivers identify pollution sources and start working toward real mitigation strategies,” says Richards. “It’s more important than ever to fully fund our testing sites so we can put more resources into DNA tracking next season. Accumulating multiple years of data is the best way for the Riverkeepers to discern trends for these impaired sites and advocate effectively with stakeholders across our watershed to find a solution.”

For the 2023 bacteria monitoring season, ShoreRivers is searching for sponsors for 18 sites. Site sponsorship allows ShoreRivers to redirect general funds to grow our source tracking program and to activate new sites from the waitlist. The cost to sponsor a site is $40 per week or $640 for an entire season. Anyone can be a sponsor—individuals, families, organizations, or communities. The more bacterial data gathered, the clearer ShoreRivers’ path will be to targeted restoration efforts in our local watersheds.

Clean water is an essential right for everyone, and everyone deserves to know if the water is safe for them and their families to access. For more information about our bacteria testing program and to become a site sponsor, visit shorerivers.org/swim or email your local Riverkeeper.

ShoreRivers protects and restores Eastern Shore waterways through science-based advocacy, restoration, and education.

shorerivers.org

If you’ve got a passion for the environment, experience working with students, and are comfortable in a canoe, ShoreRivers needs you! Healthy, fishable, swimmable waterways will not be possible without the next generation of clean water enthusiasts, so we strive to encourage in students an appreciation for our environment and a dedication to making a difference.

ShoreRivers’ Education Department is seeking volunteers to help monitor groups of 10–25  students on field trips at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science’s Horn Point Lab in Cambridge. Volunteers are needed on select school days from 9 am–1 pm between October and May. This is a unique opportunity to support students age 8–15 from all across the Eastern Shore—some of whom may be visiting the river for the first time. During the field trip, students learn about local water quality, study Bay creatures like the Eastern Oyster and Atlantic Sturgeon, and canoe in a cove off the Choptank River.

ShoreRivers leads a robust environmental education program that serves more than 2,500 third-grade and high school biology students every year throughout our watershed communities. We provide students with a Meaningful Watershed Education Experience, a Maryland State graduation requirement. ShoreRivers leads classroom lessons, field experiences, community-focused action projects, and teacher professional development.

Volunteers must have transportation to the site and be comfortable in and around canoes. For our elementary field trips, we are especially in need of experienced canoers who are comfortable paddling in a boat with two students. Responsibilities include: assisting students getting into and out of canoes, on-the-water monitoring of student safety while paddling, alerting ShoreRivers staff of any issues or concerns, and having fun! You will not be responsible for disciplining students, leading lessons on the water, or bringing your own canoe.

Anyone interested should fill out the volunteer application form at: shorerivers.org/volunteer and email Demetrio at dfinley@shorerivers.org for more details on dates and times.

ShoreRivers protects and restores Eastern Shore waterways through science-based advocacy, restoration, and education.

shorerivers.org

This summer, thanks to grant funding from the Chesapeake Bay Trust and the Cornell Douglas Foundation, ShoreRivers purchased two pieces of scientific monitoring equipment that significantly improve our ability to predict and monitor toxic algal blooms in real time, facilitating much faster sharing of results with the community. We are hoping that our ability to more quickly alert the public of potential health hazards will result in fewer illnesses in humans and fewer deaths in beloved pets.

ShoreRivers works for waterways that are swimmable and fishable. The Swimmable ShoreRivers program uses expert staff, state-of-the-art technology, and dedicated volunteer time to monitor bacteria levels, tidal water quality, and toxic algal blooms in our rivers. ShoreRivers strives to provide the community with these data so they can make informed decisions about whether or not to recreate in their waterways.

As part of this initiative, ShoreRivers monitors algal blooms in conjunction with the Maryland Departments of the Environment, Natural Resources, and Health, and local county health departments. Monitoring blooms can be a time-consuming process that involves multiple government agencies and requires transporting samples across the state. With traditional methods, results can take days or weeks to return, leaving community members in the dark about potentially unsafe—even deadly—algal blooms.

Algae occurs naturally in our rivers, but blooms are fueled by excess nitrogen and phosphorus running off into local rivers and streams. Excess nutrients come from agricultural and lawn fertilizers, leaking septic systems, non-native ornamental plantings, tree removal, and other human activities.

During the summer months, all of our waterways experience algal blooms with varying levels of toxicity. Blooms are becoming more toxic, longer lasting, and more frequent. Algal blooms can fluctuate rapidly depending on weather conditions, tidal phases, and time of day. Exposure to toxins can be fatal to pets within just 12 hours. In humans, these algal toxins can cause rashes, gastrointestinal illness, and neurological or liver damage, especially in children and other at-risk individuals. For all these reasons, the ability to predict potential blooms and monitor active blooms is critically important in order to keep people and pets safe.

Algal Monitoring Equipment and Technology

The first piece of new equipment is an algal fluorometer (commonly used by researchers and state agencies) that monitors phycocyanin and chlorophyll ratios—indicators of an imminent or active bloom. Chlorophyll is one of the pigments found in plants that allows them to absorb sunlight during photosynthesis. Phycocyanin is a pigment most commonly found in cyanobacteria species, like those present during certain types of harmful algal blooms. By monitoring their ratios, it is possible to predict when a bloom is about to occur. Results return in 10 seconds or less, which allows for real-time monitoring in the field and gives our staff the flexibility to take more samples, more often.

The second piece of equipment is a high-powered, wireless field microscope that syncs to a phone or tablet and provides a live view of algae cells. Using an app, Riverkeepers can quickly identify algae and calculate cell density to determine if harmful species are present in concerning amounts.

These new pieces of equipment have allowed our Riverkeepers to monitor potential blooms and respond to active ones much more quickly. Once a bloom has been confirmed to have high levels of toxin-producing algae species like Microcystis, Riverkeepers send water samples to the Departments of Natural Resources and Environment for toxin testing.

Additionally, Riverkeepers utilize other technology to enhance their monitoring program, including satellite imaging from the Environmental Protection Agency’s Cyanobacteria Assessment Network Tool and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Phytoplankton Monitoring Network. These tools use infrared and ultraviolet lenses on satellites to pick up algal blooms around the country.

ShoreRivers Participates in Bay-Wide Research

Because of this innovative new technology, ShoreRivers was able to join a pilot program conducted by BloomOptix, a research company based in New York. Researchers from around the country are participating in this program, which has developed artificial intelligence technology that can provide algae species identification and cell counts in a matter of minutes.

ShoreRivers is also working with the Innovation Lab at Washington College’s Center for Environment and Society, which captures and uploads water quality data, including water temperature, turbidity, dissolved oxygen, and phycocyanin concentrations, every 20 minutes to its website. This publicly available data, captured via remote sensor at Budds Landing on the Cecil County side of the Upper Sassafras River, is extremely useful in monitoring for potential algal blooms.

Despite this innovative and rapidly evolving technology, community participation is still vital to ShoreRivers’ work. Anyone who observes potential algal blooms should contact their local Riverkeeper, who can identify whether or not a toxic bloom is occurring. Blooms can vary in appearance, but it is generally a good idea to avoid water contact where there is visible algae, particularly if it resembles pea soup or green paint, or if it emits an odor. Pets, livestock, children, and adults with compromised immune systems are particularly sensitive to algal blooms.

For interested community members wanting to learn more, please contact Sassafras Riverkeeper Zack Kelleher at zkelleher@shorerivers.org.

ShoreRivers is pleased to bring significant state and federal resources into the region to support integral work for healthy rivers on behalf of our communities. Follow the progress of these projects: @shorerivers on Facebook; @shoreriversorg on Instagram; or subscribe to our monthly e-newsletter at shorerivers.org/subscribe.

ShoreRivers protects and restores Eastern Shore waterways through science-based advocacy, restoration, and education.