2024 Blitz Results are In!
By Emily Dunsmore and Mary Hoover
The 2024 Water Quality Blitz was a testament to the power of regional partnerships. As in years past, volunteers convened outside of ACLT’s office on a bright and early April morning to hear water sampling instructions from Dr. Walter Boynton, retired estuary ecologist from the Chesapeake Biological Laboratory (CBL). Soon these volunteers would hike to sites throughout Parkers Creek and Battle Creek to collect water samples for nitrogen (NO23) analysis by CBL. This scene, however, depicted only a fraction of the biggest Water Quality Blitz in ACLT history. All throughout Southern Maryland, volunteers were collecting water samples at 128 sites, a monumental increase from the meager 17 sites sampled during the inaugural Blitz in 2017. This expansion was made possible by the enthusiastic participation of 14 Southern Maryland Conservation Alliance (SMCA) partner organizations, demonstrating the power of regional collaboration.
This year’s blitz results mark the 7th year of data (with 2020’s Blitz being canceled due to COVID-19). Since receiving this data back, we can draw some new conclusions about the health of Parkers Creek and beyond.
A site is considered healthy, or in the “green” when it has nitrogen levels below 0.7 mg/L. In Parkers Creek specifically, all but one site tested within this category. When compared to past years, this shows a potential upward trend in the health of the Parkers Creek watershed. Areas that were previously labeled as “problem areas” are now consistently showing healthy nitrogen levels. The one site that tested in the yellow, PC13B, tested a nitrogen level of 1.45 mg/L, landing it firmly in the “fair” or yellow category, where it’s been since we began testing that site in 2022. Yearly water quality testing also allows ACLT to assess whether or not our management practices are effective. In 2020 and 2021, ACLT installed meadow buffers around the farm field directly upstream of these sites, in the hopes of slowing nutrient runoff into the streams nearby. The results of the Blitz could be an indication of the effectiveness of this meadow buffer- in 2022, sites PC13A and PC13D also tested in the “fair” category but have since turned green in 2023 and 2024.
Beyond the Parkers Creek watershed, another interesting area to investigate is St Leonard Creek. Located just south of Parkers Creek, St Leonard Creek stands in stark contrast to the sea of green, containing the highest density of red on the map. Of the 11 sites tested in St Leonard Creek in 2024, 4 sites had NO23 concentrations above the 2.1 mg/L threshold, or “poor” concentrations. Over four years of Blitz testing, St Leonard Creek has had consistently elevated sites. Most notably, SLC4, located in the White Sands area, has been either “fair” or “poor” for the past four years. For the past two years, however, SLC4 has been “poor,” confirming this area to be a nitrogen hotspot in the watershed. Similarly, SLC1 has been “poor” for the past two years, despite being “good” in 2021 and 2022. The 2024 Blitz confirmed that the drastic jump from “good” in 2022 to “poor” in 2023 was not a fluke or sampler error; the 2024 Blitz solidified SLC1 as another nitrogen hotspot in the watershed, warranting further investigation by the Friends of St Leonard Creek.
With 128 sites tested by 14 organizations across all five Southern Maryland counties, the 2024 Water Quality Blitz was one to remember. In light of the discourse surrounding Bay Program shortcomings and overall concern for the health of the Chesapeake Bay watershed, the 2024 Blitz shows promising results for the nontidal waters of Southern Maryland. Out of 128 sites sampled, 92 tested “good”, and only 6 tested “poor.” One of the valuable aspects of the Blitz is that it can allow ACLT and other organizations to identify these hotspots within their watersheds to guide targeted restoration efforts. With the Blitz growing in size and scope each year, the Southern Maryland Conservation Alliance continues to strengthen grassroots efforts to address environmental issues in Chesapeake Bay.
