Water by Kate Emery General

Having swum in open water most of my life, I gave little thought to what could possibly be in that water, pollution was not in my vocabulary until I moved to Cambridge in 1987. In Wyoming, I swam in beautiful Alcova Lake, with its muddy bottom and high canyons. In Florida and Texas, I swam in the warm and salty, Gulf of Mexico. In Maine, Georgia, and Delaware I swam in the Atlantic Ocean. Maine is beautiful with its starfish and tide pools and freezing water even in July. In California and Hawaii I swam in the huge expanse of the Pacific Ocean.

The first summer of living in Cambridge, my children and I sailed our little boat named Cat’s Paw to Rooster Island. We had a picnic lunch and hunted for shark’s teeth, we happily swam in the Choptank all day. In fact, we delighted in swimming in the Choptank all summer long, we could swim or walk from WCEM to Great Marsh to the “Duck Walk”. It wasn’t until I began to make friends that I learned that swimming in the Choptank was a big NO NO! I was told that the Sewage Treatment Plant dumped into the River.

Fast forward 30 years and we now have Choptank River Keepers, who post updates on the cleanliness of local creeks and rivers. In a Thanksgiving letter, the Riverkeepers announced that the pollution reduction goals established under the 2010 Chesapeake Bay total maximum daily load will not be reached by the 2025 deadline. Officials are stating that the challenge is in achieving nutrient reduction from agriculture and storm water. This news has motivated the Riverkeepers to double down on their efforts to engage farmers in nutrient reduction practices.

Maryland has the highest number of PFAS (polyfluoroalkyl substances) detected in waterways nationwide. PFAS are man made chemicals that can lead to adverse health effects such as cancer. Scotch guard and non-stick pans are two items that contain PFAS.

The Visitors center has a teaching tool at the entrance to the park about how pollution and run off affects the River and ultimately the Chesapeake Bay. Rain gardens are one way that we can help with storm water pollution. Planted with flowering perennials and native grasses, rain gardens filter out pollutants in runoff and provide food and shelter to butterflies and song birds. Check out shorerivers.org for other ways to help keep our rivers pollution free.