Runoff Rundown
Spring 2007
Feature Article
Port Tobacco River Conservancy Focus
You may have caught several updates in Runoff Rundown over the last year about our activities in the Port Tobacco watershed in Maryland, and the activities of our partner, the Port Tobacco River Conservancy (PTRC). Recently, we finalized the Port Tobacco Watershed Restoration Action Strategy (WRAS) and are using this occasion to summarize some of the terrific work that PTRC has accomplished, and how the Center has been able to help in many key components of the overall process.
The Port Tobacco River is located about an hour south of Annapolis, MD in Charles County, which lies along the Potomac River. The area has a rich cultural history with its origins as a major seaport during the late 1600s and its residents seek to preserve its historical and natural landmarks. The Port Tobacco River watershed covers approximately 47 square miles and is diverse in its level of development. Citizens concerned with frequent bacteria problems and decreased quality of their water formed the PTRC in 2001 with just ten ambitious members.
In the past six years, PTRC has become a very active volunteer-run watershed group. They began monitoring the tidal section of the Port Tobacco River in 2003, with assistance from the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE), Charles County Health Department, and Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. This testing extended upstream to many tributaries and resulted in the River being 303(d) listed for bacteria -- the first time a volunteer effort in Maryland has produced such results; the river has also been listed for nutrient and sediment impairments as well.
PTRC decided that they needed to move from water quality monitoring alone to more comprehensive watershed planning, such as a Watershed Restoration Action Strategy (WRAS). Something much more comprehensive would require a great deal of technical training and resources, which was where the Center came in. Thanks to a scholarship from the Chesapeake Bay Trust, officers from PTRC participated in the inaugural Watershed Institute to receive training in some of the critical methods needed to protect watersheds. We were pleased to meet up with PTRC again at our Watershed Protection Track at River Network’s River Rally the following year. These trainings founded what grew into a rich partnership between the Center and PTRC, especially with Dave Gardiner, PTRC’s Technical Director and former (volunteer) Executive Director. Dave was “really impressed with the Institute and Center staff” and recommends Watershed Institutes for anyone starting out in the watershed business.
We caught up with Dave recently, and he shared with us some of his experiences with the Port Tobacco River. A lifelong resident of the area, Dave has been a recreational user of the river including swimming, crabbing and fishing over the years. He recalls that a few decades ago, there was a time when he would serve up the day’s catch for dinner. “Today, when I fish with my grandson, we always throw back what we catch,” Dave says, lamenting the fact that eating today’s catch would be ill-advised.
Much of the decreased water quality that Dave and PTRC have witnessed over the years has been attributed to increased bacteria levels from failing septic systems and the local wastewater treatment plant. PTRC was able to conduct a survey of septic system owners as to the conditions of their septic systems, as well as follow-up with outreach to all watershed residents though a brochure about septic system performance and maintenance. More recently, PTRC has become concerned with the host of pollutants found in stormwater runoff. “Bacteria is still a concern, but pollution from parking lots and roads, and erosion along streambanks are equally as important,” Dave says. At first, PTRC was educating itself about these issues, but now they are able to move on to reaching out and educating the citizens of the Port Tobacco River.
Its outreach methods also include an annual “Wade-In,” a non-scientific test of water quality. This event regularly hosts more than a hundred participants who wear white tennis shoes and wade into the river until they can no longer see their shoes. The results of PTRC’s water quality sampling are in line with this water quality “test,” which suggests that the river’s clarity is not what it once was. Other activities, including River clean-ups, Stream Waders, and fish surveys have proven useful for getting homeowners and residents involved and increasing their watershed stewardship.
All of these activities, including the WRAS, have been made possible through several grants awarded for work in the watershed. Funding for watershed planning and initial projects came from Maryland Department of the Environment WRAS program, Chesapeake Bay Trust, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and a U.S. EPA grant sponsored by Congressman Hoyer. So far, PTRC has leveraged more than a million dollars in restoration funds, and money continues to come in. Most recently, Charles County was awarded a grant for septic system upgrades for County residents, due to the persistence and activities of PTRC.
A bright future is on the horizon for PTRC with its dedicated team of volunteers and newly appointed Executive Director as the first paid staff person. PTRC has just seen the WRAS be approved by the Planning Commission, which has recommended it to the County Commissioners for adoption. Dave says that he would like to "continue the extremely valuable partnership with the Center" in the future with a goal of implementing the recommendations of the WRAS, which has already begun with the construction of a rain garden at a local elementary school. We, too, look forward to working with Dave and PTRC in the future!
- Tiffany Wright
PTRC wade-in photo from www.porttobaccoriver.org
For upcoming Wade-Ins around Maryland, see http://dnrweb.dnr.state.md.us/dnrasp/websurvey/dnrcform/cs.asp?page=1&search=Wade-Ins