Projects:
PTRC Continues Water Monitoring to Glean Crucial Information
A focus on cleaning up the Port Tobacco River and watershed has required that the Port Tobacco River Conservancy (PTRC) champion ongoing research and analysis so that viable solutions, restorative programs and long-term policies can be explored.
During 2007, PTRC completed its fifth year of testing various sites in the river and its tributaries for enterococcus (a bacteria indicator). Sites chosen were those with consistently elevated levels of bacteria over the four previous years; however, some sites were selected to try and pinpoint specific areas where pollution is suspected.
Although the data does not clearly identify the source of the pollution, it verifies that the Port Tobacco River continues to be polluted. This fall, water sampling was expanded through work with the United States Geological Survey to begin the arduous task of trying to identify those sources.
There are many contributors to the pollution problem. Some of the most common are: 1. Wildlife such as deer and geese; 2. Fertilizer run-off from lawns and farms; 3. Livestock; 4. Septic system malfunctions and failure; 5. Overflows from wastewater treatment plants; and 6. Runoff from roofs, driveways and parking lots during rain events.
The sampling is done by PTRC volunteers and its purpose is to measures the level of enterococcus through regular testing. The Code of Maryland Regulations’ established limits of enterococcus for saltwater is 104 per 100 ml. of water and for freshwater the limit is 62 per 100 ml. of water.
