“State of the Magothy” Event Draws Overflow Crowd

It was “report card day” on Wednesday for the Magothy River -- and the grades on the paper would fail to make any parent proud.

The river that borders the Broadneck peninsula to the north and extends from Cape St. Claire to Pasadena earned an overall health score of 22 percent in 2010, for a grade of D-minus.

Over 100 people, including homeowners, river advocates, politicians and members of the scientific community turned out to hear the findings at the Magothy River Association’s (MRA) eighth annual “State of the Magothy” Conference at Anne Arundel Community College.

Although last year’s near-failing grade was the same as in 2009, the river’s health has been on a steady decline since at least 2006, when it earned a score of 44 percent for a grade of C-minus.

The Magothy River Index used to score the ecosystem’s health has been produced annually by the MRA since 2003. It looks at three factors: water clarity and dissolved oxygen, from data collected by volunteers at 16 sites throughout the river, and the extent of submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV), underwater plants that aid water quality and provide habitat for fish and crabs.

Dr. Peter Bergstrom, a biologist with NOAA’s Chesapeake Bay Office who compiles the annual report, said one of the most distressing findings in this last go round was the drastic reduction in SAVs. More than 300 acres of underwater grasses were found in the river in 2005. Last year, there were only two acres.

“They’re essentially gone now,” he told the overflow crowd. He blamed the loss on murky water from sediment flowing into the river, choking out sunlight. The plants create oxygen that fish and shellfish need to survive.

The 95 percent drop in underwater grasses in five years is “very discouraging,” he said. “Once it’s gone, it’s hard to get it back.”

For the first time, the index included data from six sites in Mill and Dividing creeks, two waterways plagued by sewage spills in recent years. In 2005, the wastewater main collapsed at the Mill Creek Pump Station, sending more than 3 million gallons of raw sewage into Mill Creek. On Jan. 26, the station lost power and an emergency generator failed to start, causing more than 260,000 gallons of sewage to overflow into the creek.

DPW is investigating the incident and considering new technology to ensure a constant power supply.

“We realize this occurrence adds insult to prior history and further erodes citizen confidence in our efforts to prevent future occurrences,” wrote Ronald Bowen, Anne Arundel County director of Public Works, in an email distributed to county officials.    

The Mill Creek Pump Station, built in 1977, is one of the oldest in the county. A $9 million upgrade is slated to begin in December that will include replacing the faulty emergency generator. The project is expected to be completed by the end of next year.

Of five groups of sites sampled for the Magothy report, Mill Creek exhibited the lowest level of dissolved oxygen and was tied with Dividing Creek for the lowest water clarity. The highest scores in those areas were in the river’s main stem, which is buffered from the direct effects of runoff, unlike the creeks.

“It basically means fish and crabs can’t live in our creeks,” said Bergstrom.

To improve water clarity and bring back the SAVs, the MRA is experimenting with a variety of bivalves that could effectively filter dirty water, especially up river. Oysters can only live in the saltier lower half of the river.

A “natural experiment” occurred in 2004, when normally rare dark false mussels showed up in the river in abundance, dramatically clearing the water and causing underwater grasses to grow. The mussels were gone by the following year, likely eaten by ducks and other wildlife.

The MRA has raised $700 toward a $1,000 fundraising goal for a pilot project using a new species to help clean up the river. Candidates are brackish water clams (Rangia cuneata), which are native to the Gulf of Mexico, hooked mussels (Ischadium recurvum), which may or may not be native to the watershed, and Baltic macoma clams (Macoma balthica), a native species that can grow to about 1.5 inches in length.

Paul Spadaro, president of the MRA, used the analogy of a scale to explain the organization’s approach to improving the local waterway, with development pressure on one side and clean-up efforts on the other.

“You have to take the weight off, or push something down to achieve balance," he said.

Note:  Look for a follow-up article on how local residents can help with cleanup efforts coming soon.