The annual wade-in season runs through May and June. Locally, the wade-ins kicked off on the Rhode River last weekend and events are planned on the Patuxent and South rivers in June. The Magothy River wade-in hasn't yet been finalized.

Wade-ins often are criticized for their rather unscientific way of getting snapshot of water quality. But supporters say the educational value of wade-ins can't be denied.

"It gives us something to bring people to the water," said Paul Spadaro, president of the Magothy River Association.

During last summer's Magothy River Day - a big floating party near Dobbins Island - the river association attempted to create a new wold record for most people at a water quality wade-in.

A total of 158 people lined up on theDobbins Island sandbar for the wade-in, although the Guinness World Record folks didn't grant the new record.

Spadaro said wade-ins are a way to focus people's attention on just how unhealthy the water is in creeks and rivers. With this spring's incessant rainfall, high levels of pollution are being flushed into the water.

"I don't anticipate a very good season. What a wade-in would do is it would bring people in contact to get a first-hand view," Spadaro said. "I want people out there."

Other wade-in organizers echoed similar sentiments.

"It's important to realize that wade-ins are not scientific - they lean toward the silly side, if anything," said West/Rhode Riverkeeper Chris Trumbauer. "But they are valuable because it creates an event for the community to rally around. They walk into the river and it gives you the opportunity to talk about water quality and the science behind it."

Last weekend's Rhode River wade-in was held in conjunction with an open house at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center.

Due to high tides, the river flowed up over the sandy beach and all the way up to steps at the wade-in site, said Trumbauer said.

"We stepped off the first step and couldn't see our feet anymore," Trumbauer said.

They lowered one pair of sneakers into the water to get a measurement of a paltry 16 inches of visibility.

The main culprit for the lack of clarity was a mahogany tide - an algae bloom - in the water.

Algae blooms are one of two contributors to poor water clarity. The other is sediment, the tiny bits of dirt that wash off the land and cloud the water.

When the water is clouded by algae or sediment, light can't reach underwater grasses, which are a vital part of a healthy ecosystem.

The South River Federation will incorporate its wade-in as part of a weeklong celebration called "South River Days."

"It's not the most scientific, but it brings awareness of water quality and the health of the river," said Sarah Boynton, events coordinator for the federation. "It gives them a little peek of, 'Oh, I can't really wade in that far, what's going on?'"

The state Department of Natural Resources used to be involved in organizing some of the wade-ins around the bay. But the DNR has pulled back from that as it focuses more on the federal "pollution diet" for the bay.

The DNR measures water clarity in a more scientific way, with monitoring devices posted at 80 locations around the bay and its rivers.

Still, DNR official Jeff Horan said he supports efforts by watershed groups and local governments to hold wade-ins.

"I think the wade-ins are still extremely useful. It's helpful for people to look at what's happening in the bay when you go back to the same place year after year," said Horan, who is director of DNR's watershed services unit.

Copyright © Capital Gazette Communications, Inc., 2011.