A few weeks ago, with the encouragement of a Spy reader, we published the weekly findings from ShoreRivers that indicated that the Miles, Wye, and Choptank Rivers all failed the Environmental Protection Agency’s recommended threshold for bacteria levels. In short, the data warned that swimming in all three rivers could cause significant health problems during the Labor Day weekend.
Needless to say, that report created a lot of questions about these ratings and how ShoreRivers gathers this information. That’s why we decided to spend a few moments with Elle Bassett, the organization’s Miles-Wye Riverkeeper, to understand these troublesome conditions better. And more importantly, how it can help Mid-Shore families make an informed decision on when and where to swim in our local rivers.
The Spy talks to Elle about the Swimmable ShoreRivers program and how the staff and volunteers take weekly samples and publish these from Memorial Day to Labor Day for the Miles, Wye, Choptank, Sassafras, and Chester on their website.
This video is approximately four minutes in length. For more information about ShoreRivers please go here.
Maura Vanderzon says
I’m just wondering why ShoreRivers does not also test for vibrio? It sounds like that’s the scariest contaminant to try and avoid!
Thanks for the work that you do to inform the public of local water quality!
Hugh (Jock) Beebe says
The safety of local waters has relevance for many others who enjoy being “on the water” in other activities in addition to “swimming.” There are many people out in “paddle craft” enjoying Talbot County waters in kayaks and canoes who have “splash” intimacy with the water in which the launch and retrieve their craft. and then there’s a whole multitude of junior explorer children who wade and splash. Add to that a very large number of juniors and seniors out on small sailboats every day.
Add them all up and the total of people being exposed to unsafe water near home may be large enough to qualify as a public health problem.
So, what’s are the short and long term possible solutions to the problem? I would suggest to begin with that County health officials and Talbot County Commissioners should demonstrate effective, aggressive, science-based action to hold accountable those who are most responsible for the documented pollution.