Federation Blog

This morning (Oct 7, 2011) I took my first flight in a small aircraft in 32 years. I rode with my collegue and board member Lynn Buehl over the Chesapeake Bay Bridge to the Bay Bridge Aiport and the whole drive I was fraught with excitment and trepedation. I always have been nervous about heights and have always been a nervous flyer. Lynn and I meet our pilot that flew down from New Jersey to take us on our adventure over the South River Watershed. Pilot Mr. Mike McNamara is one of many volunteer pilots for a non-profit group called LightHawk. This is a great organization set-up to provide flights to other non-profits or academics for research and advocay. I submitted a proposal to search for SAV, clean-water plumes, and 5 legacy landfills. As I first got in the plane, my thought was "oh my goodness, I am not going to make it". But, as we tore down the runway toward the Chesapeake Bay and delicately lifted off into the air and over the Bay Bridge- I became totally filled with excitement and started taking pictures. Being in a small plane over the Chesapeake Bay and the South River is indescribably amazing. I was horrified at the amounts of debris still in the Bay. Then, as we approach the South River- both Lynn and I became very distressed at how our beatiful South River looked. Sediment plumes and oil plumes everywhere- brown water all over. Then as week approached South River Farm Park, where Pam Wood of the Capitol and I kayaked looking for our Submerged Aquatic Vegetation- the planes wings tipped and there is was. Our SAV survived Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee!! What a blessing that our grasses survived such storms!! I am showing 300 pictures, and although I am not a professional photographer, I hope you enjoy them.----Diana, South Riverkeeper

The Enterococci data is now ready from this last Saturday's South River Federation's 7th Annual Snapshot.

On Friday the short rain event was only 0.38 inches of rain, but even with that small amount there were some spikes of bacteria in our watershed.  For a single sampling event the criteria is 104 cfu/100ml (colony forming units/100milliliters).  Therefore in the map above, anything in orange or red is higher than the State of Maryland's limit.

Thanks to our great volunteers I am now going back through the past 7 years of data and preparing a 'trend" analysis to find why our hot spot are HOT.  One stations is HIL 1, this is located in the Hillsmere community and is consistently high every year- now that we have the data to prove that there is a problem (thanks to our volunteers)- We can see what we can do to fix the issues.---Diana

This week's bottom dissolved oxygen measurements indicate the expanding hypoxic zone from mid-river up to the Rt 50 bridge.  Many of the tidal creek are also experiencing hypoxic conditions (2.0 mg/l or lower).  This is due to the excessive nutrients causing the algae blooms, which then cause the low dissolved oxygen.  Blue Crabs need above 3mg/l of dissolved oxygen to live, therefore at the moment the South River is not that hospitable for the blue crab. ---Diana

The South River Federation's Riverkeeper Tidal Water Quality montoring is in mid-season currently.  Some of you may have see us out there sampling the water quality.  I have been ask many questions about when and where we sample.  I have provided a GIS map of our current tidal stations.  I have 7 main stem stations, then 14 stations in each of the tidal creeks.  

 

EPA Unveils Chesapeake Bay Restoration Strategy

 The Chesapeake Bay Restoration Strategy is now out as presented by Lisa Jackson (EPA administrator) yesterday.  She stated that only thing needed is money and resources.

I would like to include Three more things:

1)  The absolute old fashion American CAN DO.  With out the can do/will do we will not have anything.

2 ) Much better enforcement,  marinas have put large piers/bulkhead/and pilings into the South River and have only received a 43,000.00 fine, and they did not have to take out the structures that were installed.  So, in reality the company folded the fine into the cost of doing the construction.  The State and Federal agencies need to not only have greater fines but mandate that these structures be removed! 

3)  I would also like to include more education on the true causes of the destruction of the Chesapeake Bay and the South River.  I speak beyond the choir quite often and have learned that most adults really do not know what stormwater runoff it,  they do not know how fertilizer can harm the Bay/River,  they do not realize how poor the infrastructure of our septic and sewer systems is.  I see very well educated folks over-fertilize their lawns in order to get the Crayola crayon green color, instead of managing their lawns in a River-friendly way.

http://wjz.com/local/Bay.foundation.epa.2.1689773.html

 

Brewer Creek, on the south side of the river between Limehouse Cove and Glebe Bay, contains within it Pocahontas Creek, an area that from older maps looks basically to have been an occluded tidal pond.  Brewer Creek itself was named after John Brewer (or his descendants), a prominent property owner in the area who was given a 400-acre land grant by Cecilius Calvert (the 2nd Lord Baltimore) in 1651 (below). 

The land grant is below:

 John Brewer 400 acres Cecelius Absolute Lord and Proprietor of the Province of Maryland and Avalon Lord Baron of Baltimore.  

 To all persons to whom these presents shall come Greetings in Our Lord God everlasting.

Know Ye that we for in consideration that John Brewer of this Province, planter hath due unto him Four Hundred Acres of the land and upon such conditions and terms as are explained in our conditions of said Plantations of our Said Province of Maryland under our Greatest Seal at Arms, bearing date at London, the second day of July in the year of our Lord God 1649, it remaining upon Record in our Said Province of Maryland with such alterations as in them are made by our Declaration bearing date Sixth and Twentieth day of August, Anno Domini 1651, likewise remaining upon record in our Said Province of Maryland, do hereby grant to the said John Brewer a parcel of land called Brewerton lying on the West Side of the Chesapeake Bay and on the West Side of a River in the said Bay called Rhode River next adjoining the land of Thomas Besson the elder.

Beginning at the said Besson's Northern most boundary, there is a Poke Hickory Tree, Bounding on the East by a line drawn North and by West from the said Poke Hickory for breadth Two Hundred Perches to a marked Oak; on the North by a line drawn West and by South from the said Oak for length Three Hundred and Twenty Perches on the West, by a line drawn South and by East thereon of the West and by South line for breadth, Two Hundred Perches until it intersects Parallel drawn from the land of the said Besson on the South, with said land and parallel, containing and now laid out Four Hundred Acres more or less, together with all profits, rights and benefits thereunto belonging, Royal minus excepted to have and to hold the same unto him, the said John Brewer his heirs and assigns forever, to be holden of us and our heirs as of our Manor of Baltimore in free and common Socage by fealty only for all services yielding and paying therefor yearly unto us and our heirs at our receipt at St Mary's at the two most usual Feasts in the year viz: at the Feast of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and at the Feast of St Michael the Archangel by even and equal portions of rent of Eight Shillings Sterling in Silver or Gold or the full value thereof in such commodities as we or our heirs of such officer or officers appointed by us or our heirs from time to time to collect and receive the same shall accept in discharge thereof at the choice of us and our heirs of such officer or officers as aforesaid. Given at St Mary's under our Great Seal of our Said Province of Maryland, Anno Domini 1651. Witness our Trusty and well beloved Josias Tendall Esq., our Lieutenant of our Said Province.

 Brewer Creek was formerly named Pyther's Creek after William Pyther.  It is also formerly described as Bessons Creek (presumably after Thomas Besson) in Amrhein, John L. Jr.  "The Middle And Upper Bay of Chesapeake as it appeared Circa 1690 with all the Rivers, Shoals, Channels, Islands, Entrances, Soundings and Sailing Marks." Salisbury, Maryland: Ryan and Black, 1987.