Federation Blog

Believe it or not, figuring out the origin of the Almshouse Creek name is one of the easier searches on the river once you know what an almshouse is and where it stood (and stands).  In the days before welfare programs and broader government assistance, the almshouse (or in more common parlance, the "poor house") was a place that destitute people (often the elderly or widows) could live, provided for by the charity of others.

 So where was Anne Arundel County's almshouse?  In 1823 it was moved from Strawberry Hill Farm near Annapolis:

The trustees (of the poor) then purchased the commodious house and ten acres on the south side of South River now in use as the Alms House from Mr. Larimore. This is on the site of a town projected in the early history of the province under the ambitious title of New London.  (from The Ancient City: A History of Annapolis in MD, 1649-1887 - Elihu Samuel Riley (1887))

It turns out, the site described above is what we now refer to as the London Town Public House and Gardens (see below).

 Amazingly, according to Greg Stiverson, former Executive Director of Historic London Town and Gardens, the structure was used as Anne Arundel County's almshouse until 1965.  The use as an almshouse no longer remains, but the creek still retains the name which hearkens back to the area's rich history.

Almshouse Creek was formerly known as Shipping Creek, presumably because London Town was an important landing for tobacco ships in the mid-18th century.

Throughout almost the entire sampling season, our bacteria readings on Almshouse Creek have been well above the EPA threshold for safe swimming (see here).  For the past several months, we've been trying to track down the source.  Our sampling site is at the top of the creek, and the surrounding area is entirely on sewer.  Edgewater Park is at the top of the creek and comprises a significant portion of the drainage area. 

Having walked the park a number of times and determined that pet and/or wildlife waste doesn't appear to be a significant problem in the area, we contacted Anne Arundel County Recreation and Park and Department of Public Works (DPW) about coming out to look at the sewer infrastructure in the area.  Needless to say, that involved a lot of looking down pipes. 

 Last week, DPW popped the manholes off several sewer junctions to examine their condition.  The photo below shows the gravity pipe coming from the park concession stand (in aquamarine) draining into the main sewer line.  A dye test and smoke test seemed to indicate that the pipe was intact and not leaking into the adjacent soils.  One problem that this investigation did reveal is that groundwater is leaking into the sewer system from around the pipe collar.  This is a problem because it means clean water is getting into the sewer and being treated at the treatment plant, occupying capacity and costing additional money.  DPW expects to fix the problem within a month or so. 

With the feeder pipe from the concession stand apparently in working order, we scoured the site for other possible bacteria sources.  Below is a shot of the filled-to-the-brim grease trap from the concession stand.  Though from outward appearances, the tank appeared relatively new, it was quite full, and we've requested that Recreation and Park pump the tank just to rule it out as a possible source.

DPW will be checking one or two other sewer segments in the area, and our bacteria monitoring program continues on, but unfortunately, the mystery remains unsolved.  I'll keep you posted on any future revelations here.

Note: Never open a manhole lid and descend into the sewer system yourself.  Dangerous gasses can build up in these systems, and because they are often heavier than air, remain there.  Suffocation and death could easily occur if one ventured down without the proper breathing equipment.