ShoreRivers has received grants to work with two regional organizations to better manage and treat stormwater runoff from urban parking lots. Urban stormwater runoff is one of the most damaging threats to urban waterways because it contains nutrients and other harmful pollutants, and can contribute to localized flooding.

In Dorchester County, the existing parking lot at the American Legion Post 91 in Cambridge will be upgraded with vegetated bioswales and native trees to manage and treat stormwater runoff, and native grass plantings along the shoreline to stabilize the eroding bank. Post Historian Richard F. Colburn writes, “Five years ago we had a fire at the American Legion Post 91 that closed our post and necessitated an overwhelming amount of repairs and restoration, including to the riverside parking. Fortunately, with the help of ShoreRivers, services from Rauch Engineering, and grants from Chesapeake Bay Trust and a Maryland State Bond Initiative, the community came together on the final leg of the project. We are now able to retrofit our waterfront parking lot in a way that protects and enhances the water quality of the precious Choptank River.”

This project meets many of the action items in the Cambridge Clean Waters Advisory Committee’s report “Moving Toward Clean Waters: A 10-Year Plan.” The parking lot will be resurfaced in part with porous asphalt and sloped toward a bioswale to redirect stormwater runoff. The bioswale will be constructed along the edge of the parking lot with a channel of native plants to help increase biodiversity and wildlife in that area. The bioswale will slow and absorb the stormwater runoff and the vegetation will help filter the water before it drains into the Choptank. Native grasses planted between the parking lot and the water’s edge will stabilize the bank.

Similarly, in Kent County, a collaborative project between ShoreRivers, Washington College, and the Town of Chestertown proposes to retrofit a stormwater detention pond and associated drainage on the northern edge of the college’s campus. This project is part of a comprehensive stormwater management plan that ShoreRivers is preparing for the historic waterfront town. Both the stormwater management plan and the Washington College retrofit designs were funded by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, with a match from a private donor to complete engineered designs for the campus retrofits.

ShoreRivers recently installed several of these retrofits as mini bioretention basins in the college’s North Commons parking lot, with funds from Chesapeake Bay Trust’s Green Streets, Green Towns, Green Jobs grant program. These mini practices were designed to capture and hold water so biological activity can remove nutrients as well as pollutants coming from asphalt and vehicles before draining into the stormwater pond that eventually discharges to Radcliffe Creek, a tributary of the impaired Middle Chester River. Implementation funding proposals are in progress for the remaining practices, which are the first of a number of improvements the college hopes to make on its campus that will have water quality and habitat benefits and serve as demonstration projects to the large audience the college serves.

The Cambridge and Chestertown projects are examples of using the “Dig Once” concept to leverage private investments to increase water quality protections. American Legion Post 91 and Washington College each invested in the gray infrastructure components of the upgrades—resurfacing and curb placement—providing the required matching funds for the green infrastructure components paid for by grants from Chesapeake Bay Trust.

By installing the projects’ green components at the same time as the gray infrastructure elements, upgrades cost less than if the parking lots were later retrofitted with green infrastructure. According to Chester Riverkeeper Annie Richards, “Leveraging private investments to help tackle urban runoff is a strategy that will likely become more powerful as we get closer to the 2025 deadline for the Chesapeake Bay Cleanup.”

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

ShoreRivers seeks applicants for an exciting, hands-on, 10-week summer internship experience in the environmental field. This internship for a rising college junior or senior or recent college graduate is supported with a $2,000 stipend by the Elizabeth Brown Memorial Fund.

ShoreRivers is a nonprofit organization that protects and restores Eastern Shore waterways through science-based advocacy, restoration, and education. With offices in Easton, Chestertown, and Galena, Maryland, the organization serves as an advocate for the health of our rivers and the living resources they support. Programs promote environmental awareness of the essential role local rivers and streams play in the community, the issues that threaten their health and vitality, and solutions that must be implemented to preserve them.

The summer intern will provide programmatic support for our Midshore region and participate in a variety of activities including restoration, water quality monitoring, outreach, and education. By the end of the program, the intern will complete a Maryland boater safety certificate and become familiar with handling a boat; gain training in scientific water quality monitoring equipment and protocols; and develop a variety of other skills and experiences.

Photo: Elizabeth Brown was dedicated to clean water, engaging others with their rivers, and serving as an environmental steward in every way. She brought enthusiasm and joy to every task as an esteemed colleague and a beloved friend, and we miss her dearly. 

Location: Virtual and in the field in the Choptank, Miles, Wye, and Easterns Bay watersheds, with occasional travel throughout the ShoreRivers region. Office based in Easton, MD.

Dates: Minimum of 10 weeks between May and August; start and end dates are flexible.

Hours: Monday-Friday, 8:30-4:30; with occasional evening and weekend work.

Stipend: $2,000 provided by the Elizabeth Brown Memorial Fund.

To Apply: Please send a resume and cover letter to Ann Frock, OfficeKeeper, at afrock@shorerivers.org no later than February 26, 2021. Before applying, please visit ShoreRivers.org to learn more about ShoreRivers and the requirements of this position.

Interviews will be conducted by Zoom in March and an intern will be selected and notified no later than March 15, 2021.  

ShoreRivers believes that swimmable, fishable, clean, and safe rivers are for everyone in our communities. ShoreRivers is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes all applicants.

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

shorerivers.org

In late January, ShoreRivers formally challenged the issuance of the Trappe East Groundwater Discharge Permit for failing to adequately protect local groundwater and surface waters from the spray irrigation of wastewater. The Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) issued a final determination to issue the permit on January 1 for a wastewater treatment facility that will serve the proposed 2,500-building development known as Trappe East (since renamed Lakeside at Trappe), which is said by its investors to be the largest proposed mixed-use development on the East Coast of the United States. Under the MDE permit, sewage from this massive development will be sprayed on 87 acres of farmland that surround the headwaters of Miles Creek, a Choptank River tributary. However, according to ShoreRivers’ review, the final permit fails to verify that nutrients in the wastewater will be fully taken up by the vegetation, and therefore could end up polluting groundwater or the nearby river.

“The permit requires the wastewater treatment system to use what is called enhanced nutrient removal technology, but that will not ensure that all nutrient pollution is taken up by crops, not discharged into the Choptank,” says ShoreRivers Choptank Riverkeeper Matt Pluta. “We are not satisfied that the language in the final permit issued by MDE ensures that the system will actually meet the standards required by state and federal law. The Choptank River is already designated by MDE as impaired by nutrient pollution,” he emphasizes. “This permit, as it’s written, will further degrade the river’s water quality.”

ShoreRivers conducted a close review of the final permit with numerous experts, including hydrologists, agricultural professionals, and an environmental legal team headed up by the Chesapeake Legal Alliance, a nonprofit organization working for the Chesapeake Bay watershed and its communities. The team concluded that there are numerous deficiencies in the draft permit and several instances where the water quality protections were weakened between the draft permit and the final permit. In addition, the nutrient management plan that is critical to ensuring the safe disposal of sewage sprayed onto nearby fields was not released to the public until after MDE closed the comment period, thus depriving ShoreRivers and the public of the right to comment on the full permit.

As a result, ShoreRivers has filed a petition for judicial review in the Talbot County Circuit Court. ShoreRivers hopes the permit will be remanded back to MDE with a requirement to reopen the comment period. It is imperative the permit fully complies with state and federal law to ensure no increase in pollution for the Choptank.

Groundwater discharge permits (which are required when wastewater is spray-irrigated onto farmland) are becoming a more popular choice for managing wastewater from municipal and industrial sources on the Eastern Shore. ShoreRivers has monitored the compliance record of these discharge permits in the region for the past several years; very few of them are in full compliance with their permit conditions. “If the water quality protection deficits and the procedural issues with this permit are not addressed, it will set a damaging precedent for these permits moving forward,” says Pluta. “If the practices in this permit are allowed, we can expect our groundwater and surface waters to get more polluted.”

Another oversight in the permit noted by ShoreRivers is the lack of consideration for impacts from the climate crisis. The years 2018 and 2019 were two of the wettest on record on the Eastern Shore, but the permit fails to consider the impact of increased intensity and volume of storms. “We are setting these permits up for failure from the start if they don’t consider how rainfall and weather patterns will be different in the future. The uphill battle to meet water quality standards will undoubtedly get steeper if we continue to ignore how climate change is affecting precipitation patterns,” says Pluta.

The permit challenge was submitted prior to the February 1 deadline and will be reviewed by the local circuit court.

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

shorerivers.org

Beginning in January 2021, ShoreRivers will implement a suite of conservation and pollution‑reduction projects on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. These projects include new watershed assessments in Caroline and Kent Counties; a robust action plan for Eastern Shore dairy operations; outreach and restoration projects in the Chester and Choptank River watersheds; and engineered designs for three restoration projects located in the Choptank and Sassafras River watersheds. This work is made possible through eight grants from the Chesapeake Bay Trusttotalingmore than $460,000 and will result in measurable reductions of nutrient and sediment pollution to these waterways.

Watershed Assessments: In Caroline County, the town of Denton is transected by a tributary of the Choptank River called Poor House Run. This stream conveys stormwater from nearly 750 acres of urban and commercial land use and, as a result, is incised and eroding the sub-base under a major intersection. ShoreRivers will assess this watershed to identify strategies to restore the stream to its natural state. ShoreRivers will also conduct an assessment of the Bayside Creeks watershed (Still Pond, Churn, Worton, and Fairlee Creeks; tributaries of the Chesapeake Bay in Kent County, MD) for the purpose of identifying and prioritizing opportunities to reduce pollution loads. The resulting watershed assessments will then be used to pursue additional funding to put projects in the ground to reduce pollution and improve water quality.

Dairy Planning: Dairy cows produce a significant waste stream and require large quantities of silage for feed, providing a unique opportunity to achieve significant reductions in nutrient pollution with the right practices in place. ShoreRivers will work with Eastern Shore dairy operations to create robust conservation action plans that identify ongoing environmental resource concerns, analyze restoration options to address these concerns, and detail funding opportunities in order to create operations that are more environmentally sustainable for future generations of dairy farmers. Dairy operations interested in participating or learning more are encouraged to contact Director of Agriculture & Restoration Tim Rosen at trosen@shorerivers.org or 443-385-0511 x209.

Outreach and Restoration: ShoreRivers will expand its Submerged Aquatic Vegetation (SAV) volunteer program into the Chester and Sassafras watersheds, with plans to make this program more equitable by utilizing ShoreRivers’ fleet of kayaks. This project will restore 24 acres of SAV to improve water quality and clarity, increase aquatic habitat, and bring Maryland closer to reaching the Chesapeake Bay Agreement habitat goal. Additionally, four River-Friendly Communityconservation planting projects are planned in common spaces on the Tred Avon River in the Choptank watershed, and on Southeast Creek in the Chester watershed. These projects will educate homeowners and empower them to take additional stewardship action on their own properties. Citizens interested in this program are encouraged to contact their local Riverkeeper, submit a volunteer form at shorerivers.org/volunteers, or leave a message at 443-385-0511ext 201.

Engineered Restoration Designs: ShoreRivers will create shovel-ready designs for three restoration implementation projects: bioswale facilities to reduce nuisance flooding issues at the Town of Galena Community Park and beautify the space with shade trees and native plants (Sassafras watershed); restore ecological and habitat function of approximately 3,000 linear feet of forested stream on a headwaters tributary of Turners Creek on the Sassafras River that receives drainage from 139 acres of row crop agriculture; and restore natural hydrology to a stream ditch that drains from a dairy operation directly to the Choptank River, producing 2,146 linear feet of stream/ditch restoration, 6.7 acres of restored floodplain, and better treatment capacity for the drainage from 129.5 acres of predominately agricultural land.

ShoreRivers is pleased to bring significant state and national 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 the monthly e-newsletter at shorerivers.org/subscribe.

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

ShoreRivers recently welcomed three new members to its Board of Directors: Scott Budden, Nick DiPasquale, and Barbara Boyd. This volunteer group includes scientists, farmers, educators, business and legal professionals, activists, and public servants. ShoreRivers believes that diverse perspectives on the board make the organization stronger. Each member brings his or her unique expertise, experience, and relationships to the organization, as well as a keen commitment to protect and restore Eastern Shore waterways. As ShoreRivers embarks on 2021 under the new executive leadership of Isabel Hardesty, the governing board plays a pivotal role in prioritizing environmental education, advocacy, and restoration in order to achieve lasting impact in all of the communities it serves.

Budden is the owner and operator of Orchard Point Oyster Company, bringing experience as a waterman and intimate knowledge of our rivers to the table. DiPasquale served as the director of EPA’s Chesapeake Bay Program for more than six years and brings extensive knowledge of federal initiatives and policies related to the Bay. Boyd is a founding faculty member of the Marine Academy of Science and Technology in New Jersey and has received Congressional recognition for her environmental achievements.

Ken Shumaker, a current board member, has a very personal motivation for his service on ShoreRivers’ board. “Since my retirement from Shared Medical Systems in Malvern, my cause has been the environment and water (more precious than oil),” he says. “Although my wife, Sue, and I have tried to be good environmental stewards during our temporary time on this planet, our generation is passing on a mess to our children and grandchildren. My kids and grandkids give me hope though that things can improve.”

ShoreRivers also has three dedicated Watershed Advisory Boards for each major watershed within the organization’s territory: SassafrasRiver and Bayside Creeks, Chester River, and the Midshore (which includes the Miles, Wye, and Choptank Rivers, as well as Eastern Bay). Volunteers for each Watershed Advisory Board support the organization’s mission as local, grassroots ambassadors.

New advisory board members who care deeply about their river and their community and are ready to volunteer their time to work for cleaner waterways are always welcome. Please contact your local Riverkeeper if that sounds like you.

Find your Riverkeeper and view lists of Board of Directors and Watershed Advisory Board members at shorerivers.org.

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

shorerivers.org

“Is it safe to swim in the river?” is one of the most common questions ShoreRivers hears from community members. Fecal bacteria and toxic algae in waterways pose threats to both water quality and public health. People who come in contact with bacteria- or toxin-laden water can contract eye, ear, and respiratory diseases, skin rashes, gastrointestinal issues, or brain or liver damage. To assess the health of our rivers and potential risks to human health, ShoreRivers regularly monitors bacteria pollution at 28 sites throughout the mid and upper Eastern Shore and works closely with government agencies to track toxic algal blooms.

The Swimmable ShoreRivers program tests all the rivers in the ShoreRivers region for bacteria at popular swimming locations, marinas, yacht clubs, and towns. ShoreRivers staff and volunteers conduct tests on a weekly or bi-weekly basis from Memorial Day through Labor Day. The program follows EPA’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. You can view the results from the sites at theswimguide.org and get updates during swim season by following #SwimmableShoreRivers on social media.

Additionally, the Swimmable ShoreRivers program works with government health agencies at the local and state levels to monitor toxic algal blooms and inform the public of serious potential health risks to humans and pets. Algal blooms occur naturally, but increased levels of nutrient pollution in our waterways from fertilizers, septic systems, and wastewater plants fuel larger, more toxic, and longer-lasting blooms.

In the ShoreRivers region, toxic blooms occur most frequently on the Sassafras River due to its lower salinity levels. This summer ShoreRivers dealt with a toxic algal bloom on the Sassafras that lasted for almost three months. This was the largest, longest lasting, and most toxic bloom ever recorded on the river, causing the Maryland Department of the Environment to issue a water contact advisory for the whole river.

The results from ShoreRivers’ monitoring in 2020 show that bacteria and algal conditions vary based on location, weather, and other factors, making systematic, scientific analysis vital. The majority of the bacteria monitoring sites passed more than 60% of the time. However, a few sites failed more than 40% of the time; meaning that in the majority of times sampled, the bacteria levels in the water exceeded EPA’s threshold for safe water contact. Specifically, these sites are located at Hambrooks Bay Beach, Crouse Park, Denton, Broad Cove Claiborne, Morgan Creek Landing, and Duck Neck.

“Bacteria pollution most commonly comes from leaking sewer lines and septic systems, stormwater runoff, domestic and wildlife droppings, and land application of manure and sewage,” says ShoreRivers Choptank Riverkeeper Matt Pluta. “Our results show that bacteria levels increase after rainfall, so after a wet summer like the one we just had, we expected bacteria levels to be high at many sites.”

Now that the program has baseline data showing which sites frequently have elevated levels of bacteria, ShoreRivers will focus on the next most frequent question from the public: “Where does bacteria pollution come from?” ShoreRivers is currently exploring partnerships and innovative technologies to help identify specific sources of bacteria pollution at specific testing locations.

“Once we know where the bacteria is coming from—whether it’s leaking sewer lines, failing septic systems, over-application of fertilizer, or people not picking up after their pets—we can start implementing real solutions,” Pluta says. “Monitoring techniques such as DNA sampling and bacteria source tracking are improving and becoming more reliable. It’s another tool in our Riverkeeper toolbelt to help improve water quality conditions so Eastern Shore waterways are always safe and swimmable.”

For more information, visit shoreriver.org/swim or email mpluta@shorerivers.org.

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

ShoreRivers seeks a full-time Education Programs Manager to assist in the development, coordination, and delivery of environmental education programming to public and private schools as well as education events with community partners. The ideal candidate will be an energetic, creative, and outgoing individual who is enthusiastic about environmental education and knowledgeable about Maryland public school education requirements.

The Education Programs Manager reports to the Director of Education. The Education Department creates and delivers programming that directly supports the organization’s mission to restore and protect Eastern Shore waterways by supporting scientific school curriculum, providing curriculum that meets Maryland graduation requirements, leading teacher professional development in watershed education and issue investigations, and cultivating students as future river stewards.

This is a full-time, 40-hour per week position starting as soon as an applicant is selected, but ideally by or before December 1. The applicant must be flexible to work within school day hours and occasionally evenings or weekends. The applicant must be willing to live in the communities we serve, travel frequently throughout the Eastern Shore for school visits and field trips, and travel between regional offices in Chestertown, Easton, and Galena.

To apply, please send cover letter, resume, and two professional references to Suzanne Sullivan, Director of Education, at ssullivan@shorerivers.org.

CLICK HERE FOR FULL JOB DESCRIPTION