September Riverkeeper Report

New season, new grass beds, and new faces... 

Although I am the type to hang onto summer for as long as possible (please, no Halloween decor until October!), September marks a change in seasons for the Riverkeeper and Monitoring Department at Arundel Rivers. Our summer bacteria monitoring program has officially come to an end, our underwater grass restoration program has come to an end, and our summer interns have left. While we will still be out collecting tidal water samples through October, our time in the field has drastically changed this month as we gear up for data analysis and legislative season.

Looking at our data from the past month, our bottom oxygen levels are starting to come up and stabilize and our clarity is also beginning to improve. This is expected as we usually see drastically improved clarity and oxygen levels as we enter the cooler seasons. We are currently below average rainfall for the year, which may explain why our salinity is so high right now. The mouth of the South River is about 14ppt salinity- higher than any salinity readings we took on the South over the past 2 years. Probably why those pesky jellies are still hanging around!

In some positive news for the river- a new restoration grass bed has been surveyed in Glebe Bay on the South River! An estimated 4 acres of sago pondweed  and widgeon grass have sprouted in an area that was planted with restoration seed by DNR and Arundel Rivers last fall. This is an encouraging sign that grass beds can make a comeback in our rivers! Grasses are critical to the health of the ecosystem by providing food and shelter, releasing oxygen, and up-taking nutrients. We hope to see many more of these beds across the South, West, and Rhode as we continue to spread seed each year from our grass restoration program. 

Finally, although our summer interns have gone back to school, we do have a new face in the monitoring department: Rachel Beall, our new Chesapeake Conservation and Climate Corps Member. Click the link below to learn more about Rachel!

CCCC Member, Rachel Beall

View Rachel's Bio

See you on the rivers,

Elle Bassett

South, West, and Rhode Riverkeeper