Potomac Basin

More grades for Waterways

Bay, Potomac, Taken to WoodshedIn what are described as politicized, polarized times, agreement throughoutsociety on any issue should be cause forcelebration. Not this time. Recent reportsshow that environmental groups, scientists,and government agencies all agree thatthe Chesapeake Bay and the PotomacRiver basin, its second-largest tributaryare in poor shape, and that restorationefforts will need to be increased drasticallyif the situation is to improve. The ICPRBdirectly contributed to two of theassessments.

In March, the Chesapeake BayProgram, the U.S. EnvironmentalProtection Agency (EPA)-led cooperativethat with the bay states oversees bay

restoration, issued its annual report, “BayBarometer: A Health and RestorationAssessment of the Chesapeake Bay andWatershed 2008,” noting that current bayhealth is only about 38 percent of the waytoward full restoration. “Despite smallsuccesses in certain parts of the ecosystemand specific geographic areas, the overallhealth of the Chesapeake Bay did notimprove in 2008. The bay continues to havepoor water quality, degraded habitats, andlow populations of many species of fish andshellfish,” the report notes.

The report focused on unacceptablenutrient and sediment loads as primaryfactors, and cited continued populationgrowth and development as the greatest

Vol. 65 No.2 Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin March/April 2009

E. Vance

Join us for some beautiful river mornings on the Potomac River Ramble, June 24-28. Details inside.

Our mission is toenhance, protect andconserve the water andassociated landresources of thePotomac River and itstributaries throughregional and interstatecooperation.

ICPRBCOMMISSIONERS

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA: HamidKarimi,* Anne D. Snodgrass, Alternate;John R. Wennersten, Alternate

MARYLAND: Corazon L. Dones; Gov.Martin O’Malley, Robert M. Summers,*Alternate; Minny Pohlmann, Alternate;

PENNSYLVANIA: John T. Hines,* LoriMohr, Alternate; Rep. Dan Moul; RonaldStanley, Roger C. Steele, Alternate

VIRGINIA: Walter Alcorn; Del. Joe T.May; David K. Paylor, Scott W. Kudlas,Alternate;

WEST VIRGINIA: Randy C. Huffman,William D. Brannon,* Alternate; MartenR. Jenkins, Jr., Phyllis M. Cole,Alternate; Del. Harold K. Michael

UNITED STATES: J. Winston Porter,*Frederick R. Eames, Alternate; GeorgeReiger, Mel M. Baughman, Alternate;Jane G. Witheridge, Howard Graeffe,Alternate

*Executive Committee Member

ICPRB Officers:John T. Hines, ChairmanGeorge Reiger, Vice ChairmanJoseph K. Hoffman, Executive DirectorRobert L. Bolle, General Counsel

Commissioners and their alternates areappointed by the state’s governors, themayor of the District of Columbia, and thePresident of the United States.

challenge to a healthier bay watershed. Thereport also assessed restoration efforts,which averaged 61 percent of all measuresneeded to restore the bay.

The report details the many parametersconsidered in determining a grade for thebay, including water quality, habitat status,fish and shellfish populations, and sectionson how various restoration efforts havefared. The report, available onwww.chesapeakebay.net, also includes asection on what citizens can do right now tohelp improve the bay. The ICPRB efforts inrestoring the Potomac and bay includesboth citizen outreach activities, such as useof rain barrels and environmentally sensitivelandscaping, such as rain gardens, andpromotion of assistance to citizen watershedgroups. These efforts complement ICPRB’stechnical efforts that include fisheriesrestoration, water resources management,planning, and conservation, total maximumdaily load plans, drinking water sourceprotection, and other initiatives.

The University of Maryland Center forEnvironmental Science followed with itsbay report card in April. Produced by theuniversity’s Integration and ApplicationNetwork, the Chesapeake Bay Report Cardadditionally assesses the bay’s majortributaries. In basic agreement with the BayProgram report, the report card gave boththe bay overall and the Potomac a “C-.” Thegrades describe “moderate-poor ecosystemhealth.” The report card grades are basedon three water quality parameters(chlorophyll a, dissolved oxygen, and waterclarity) and three biotic indicators (aquaticgrasses, phytoplankton community, andbenthic community).

For the bay overall, the report noted thatthe bay has recovered little since a sharpdecline in 2003, an extremely wet yearwhen precipitation washed massiveamounts of nutrients and sediments into thebay. The 2008 numerical assessment of 43percent is still much lower than the 55percent scored in 2002. The report alsonotes that there have been areas ofimprovement, such as increased aquaticgrasses in some areas, while other regionshave degraded. The Potomac’s “C-,” whilepoor, was on the upper end of the maintributaries. While not greatly changed, thePotomac’s score did improve to its highestin the last five years due to improved waterclarity and phytoplankton and benthiccommunity condition, the report noted. Thereport is available at http://www.ca.umces.edu/reportcard2008.html.

The Chesapeake Bay Foundationweighed in with their own report card inApril, giving the bay a 28 out of onehundred, a grade of “D” for the tenthconsecutive year. Under the foundation’sscoring system, which examines a range ofwater quality and ecological factors, a scoreof 40 would represent a greatly improved

bay, 70 a restored bay, and 100, the bay asit reportedly existed in pre-colonial time.

The report highlights an improvement inbay grasses but declines in dissolvedoxygen, a lack of improvement in nutrientlevels, water clarity, and toxic substances.Fish species health also declined slightly,according to the report, available atwww.cbf.org.

In January, the foundation filed a lawsuitagainst the U.S. Environmental ProtectionAgency in federal court for failing to cleanup the bay under the federal Clean WaterAct. The foundation is asking that EPA set apollution budget to cap pollution sourcesand enforce infractions. The lawsuit isunresolved.

The Chesapeake Bay Program partnershave been working toward such a pollutionbudget with a Chesapeake Bay TotalMaximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan. Detailsof the plan currently are being worked out.

While a TMDL can provide a guide mapfor restoring the Chesapeake Bay and thePotomac, it is only a plan. Greater, strongerpublic involvement in preserving naturalresources will be required for the region’sresidents to keep the bay and its tributariesfrom getting worse. People who recognizethe need to restore the Potomac and Baywill need to engage their neighbors andempower elected officials to take the stepsneeded to reach goals for the Potomac andthe bay.

Aquatic plant coverage, a key indicatorfor waterway health, increased by 18percent in the Chesapeake Bay and itstidal rivers, according to a report by theChesapeake Bay Program. Aquaticvegetation filters pollutants, producesoxygen, prevents erosion, and provideshabitat and food for fish, crabs, and otherwaterway residents.

Total coverage was estimated to beabout 76,861 acres, about 42 percent of theprogram goal of 185,000 acres. The reportnotes that about 60 percent of the grassbeds are considered “high density,”established beds whose water qualityimprovements are more pronounced.

Most of the bay-wide increase was inthe Susquehanna flats at the head of thebay, and in rebound of eelgrass andwidgeon grass. For the first time since2001, grasses increased in all threeregions of the bay. Eelgrass lives only inthe saltier parts of the bay, and suffered adrastic decline in 2005.

The tidal Potomac River is a part of themiddle bay region, which saw a 15 percentincrease. The middle bay now meets 30percent of the goal. For the Potomac itself,2008 was a mixed year. The upper Potomac(above the U.S. 301 bridge) is doing verywell. With more than 6,500 acres, the areais at 141 percent of its goal. The lowersegment of the Potomac, which has alwayslagged, decreased by 282 acres, or 42percent, in 2008. Luckily, the increases inupper Potomac aquatic vegetation did notinclude water lettuce, an invasive plantcommon in the pond and aquariumindustry that was found growing strongly inthe river in 2007. The plant cannot withstandcold winter temperatures, but seeds mightunder some circumstances. No waterlettuce was found in the river in 2008.

The report notes that annual bay grass

Aquatic Grasses Increase In Bay,Parts of Potomac in 2008

acreage estimates help indicate the successof pollution control efforts that includeagricultural and urban best managementpractices, improvements to wastewatertreatment, stormwater controls, and themany public actions such as environmentallyfriendly lawn care and green landscaping.

After 21 years, the annual Potomac RiverWatershed Cleanup has become one of theregion’s rites of spring. Yet it is one that theorganizers and thousands of volunteerswould like to see end, perhaps replaced bycelebratory picnics along a clean shoreline.The Alice Ferguson Foundation, whichbegan the cleanups, uses the event as oneof a suite of efforts to promote its PotomacWatershed Trash Free Initiative, with thegoal of a trash free Potomac by 2013. As apartner in both efforts, ICPRB helps identify

Watershed-Wide SpringCleaning Part of Year-Round Efforts

They may foul boat props, but aquatic grasses are asign of a healthy ecology with good water quality.

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and organize newcleanup sites andpublicizes the effort,and participates in thetrash free initiative.While a worthy goalthat ICPRB and manygovernment andnonprofit groups share,it also is an ambitiousone, based on the haultaken on the main dayof the cleanup.

The cleanup setrecords again this year,with many of the 442 registered sites beingcleaned on the April 4 date, and otherstackled on Earth Day or later in the month.Reports to date from 224 of the sites revealthe breadth of the problem and thecommitment. Trash from those sites totaledmore than 150 tons, collected by almost5,700 volunteers across the watershed.

Included in the haul were 1,080 tires,144,350 recyclable beverage containers,with many of the most popular beers,sodas, and waters represented. The tallyalso included more than 24,000 each ofcigarette filters and the ubiquitous plasticbags.

The bags were a particular focus of onevolunteer helping to clean along theAnacostia River at the Heritage andKingman islands site in Washington, D.C.

As he stooped to pick up trash, includingthe occasional bag, D.C. Ward 6 CouncilmanTommy Wells discussed his efforts torequire stores, restaurants, and foodvendors to charge a nickel for each bagused by customers as a trash reductioneffort.

If passed, Wells noted, the AnacostiaRiver Cleanup and Protection Act of 2009would be an important first step in helpingrid the river of trash. As Wells picked up aplastic water bottle from under a bush, heshook his head. “I’m just trying to do things

to help make the District cleaner,” Wellssaid. The goal is to get people to bring theirreusable or even the purchased bags backto use again.

While optimistic about the bill’s passage,Wells noted the huge benefit in bringing thebillo to a vote. “The process has been atough one, but I have met a lot of dedicatedpeople along the way, and the network thathas been created can go on to greaterthings whether the bill passes this time ornot,” Wells said. Deciding whether topropose an outright ban on plastic bags isone example. While a ban makes sense tomany, Wells looked at similar efforts and thegroup moved toward a fee structure thatwould incite less resistance than a ban.Wells’ efforts to clean up the District alsohas come with a personal cost. “Ever sinceI got involved in the legislation, I see plasticbags everywhere!” Wells said with a grin.

Wells was one of more than 100volunteers at the site, which was sponsoredby the Student Conservation Association(SCA), a nonprofit group that hassponsored the site for several years. Thesite attracted volunteers from a number ofschools and other organizations, whocollected 1.5 tons of trash, with more thanhalf of it recyclable, noted Amtchat Edwards,an SCA coordinator. Toward the end of themorning, the students gathered to assessthe large pile of bags filled with trash, throwfrisbee, and pedal the exercise bike thathad been hauled from a nearby thicket. Oneyoung student wondered aloud whetherone of the old mattresses that had beenremoved would force someone to sleep onthe ground that night. “I think maybe somepeople live here,” he said. The volunteersalso took time to marvel at one enlistee tothe cleanup, a black rat snake that fell fromthe bottom of a sofa as it was being carriedto the pile.

Some of the sites that have beencleaned for years did look better this timearound. Volunteers at the Monocacy RiverAqueduct found trash, but in lesserquantities. “There doesn’t seem to be asmuch trash this year. Remember? It took ushours to get this far last year,” one studentsaid to another. Bryan Seipp of the PotomacConservancy, the site’s sponsor said that

C. DalpraSCA volunteers, including students from area schools, stand with their haul.

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SCA volunteer students take a break using itemsthey collected at Heritage and Kingman Islands.

The 2009 River Ramble is only twomonths away and this is not a year tomiss. We are exploring Maryland’sfirst Scenic River–the Monocacy, andwill also paddle part of the adjacentPotomac River. On top of scenicpaddling, meeting new friends, andriverside camping, participants willexperience the best line-up ofprograms of any Ramble.

The paddle on the Monocacy andPotomac will be pleasant, flat-watercruises punctuated by a wealth ofprograms. During the trip, Ramblerswill:♦Examine the inter-sex smallmouthbass condition and other measures offish health with scientists from USGS;♦Capture and learn about the rustycrayfish and other invasive species with Md.DNR and Hood College biologists;♦Tour the Monocacy National Battlefield;♦Learn how local planning and zoning isprotecting the Monocacy’s resources;

Calling All River Lovers! June 24th - 28th

Paddle With ICPRB on thePotomac River Ramble

the annual cleanup is now mostly upkeep.Many of the sites also have benefitted froma growing number of volunteers.

A site at the National ConservationTraining Center in Shepherdstown, W.Va.,attracted 20 volunteers compared with fourthe previous year, and there was not much“new trash,” according to volunteers.

The Friends of Rock Creek’s Environment(FORCE), turned out hundreds ofvolunteers along an eight-mile stretch of thecreek from Garrett Park, Md., to the DC line,volunteers pulled out more than 300 bagsof trash, dozens of tires, a grocery cart,highway construction material, and more.The 50 sites along the creek were nearlytriple last year’s number.

While a number of the sites seem to begetting cleaner due to increased attention,the story is different on private propertywhere few of the cleanups occur. Thecleanup sites are targeted for problemareas, but they also are mostly public areasthat provide access and a reasonable levelof safety. There are many stretches of waterinaccessible to volunteers that remain trashhot spots.

Some of those areas are being surveyedby ICPRB and Washington MetropolitanCouncil of Governments staff as part of thedevelopment of a total maximum daily load(TMDL) trash reduction plan for theAnacostia watershed. The first of its kind onthe East Coast, the plan will assess typesand sources of trash despoiling the river

and devise a plan to address it. Of course,any plan will be only as good as thecommitment (from both government and thepublic) to implement it.

The trash free initiative also is addressingenforcement of anti-litter laws, an issuenoted by some opponents of the District’sbag bill. Again this year, the week beforethe cleanup was designated “LitterEnforcement Week,” with events thatbrought the trash focus to the region’spolice departments. This year, 115 policeofficers from Prince Georges andMontgomery counties in Maryland, theDistrict, and Alexandria, Va., were trained inissues such as illegal dumping.

The trash free initiative also is working tomake it easier for the region’s residents toclean up. The Alice Ferguson Foundationwill soon issue a Trash Free FacilitiesGuidebook. The guide will help businesses,schools and homeowners learn about how todivert their trash waste stream into recycling,composting, and re-use, noted FoundationExecutive Director Tracy Bowen.

The cleanup, the TMDL, efforts toincrease enforcement of anti-litter laws,provide education and outreach, andpromote greater recycling are all integralparts of the Trash Free Potomac WatershedInitiative. The foundation plans to hold itsannual trash summit meeting in the fall,again at the World Bank. More informationon the cleanup and initiative is available atwww.potomaccleanup.org.

♦Join with members of the Middle andUpper Potomac Tributary Teams for awade-in;♦Sample water quality along our waydownstream;♦Explore the historic C&O Canal and the

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Longtime Rambler Rick Schumaker meets a new friend on theriver. Crayfish are one of the topics of this year’s trip.

Watching the River Flow

The Monocacy River, which runs throughFrederick and Carroll counties in Marylandand its headwaters in Pennsylvania, is abeautiful and popular river. The Monocacybecame Maryland’s first “Scenic River” andwas the subject of a river study andmanagement plan in 1990.

Although it is still a beautiful, lazy river topaddle, the river has been subjected tomany of the impacts that the rapidlygrowing region has experienced. Whileland use remains overwhelminglyagricultural, eight percent of the watershedis now deemed urban. And while the scenicriver designation has helped to focusattention on the river, it has not stopped themounting threats to its health.

A group created by the designation, theMonocacy Scenic River Citizens’ AdvisoryBoard recently published a report on thewatershed and some of the threats facing it.In the report, available on the board’swebsite, the board notes several categoriesof impacts.

Conversion of farmland to commercialand residential use increases the amount ofpaved or roofed land, increasing stormwaterpollution and decreasing the amount ofwater that soaks into the groundwater tableand supports the river. Poorly managedagricultural land has similar effects,producing sediment, nutrient, and bacterialloads that can degrade water quality.

“Human activity has changed andcontinues to affect the Monocacy River

Monocacy GroupIssues Report

A continuing extended dry period wasreflected in extremely low flows of thePotomac River measured nearWashington, D.C., in February andMarch, according to provisional data fromthe U.S. Geological Survey. Provisionaldata has not been reviewed for accuracy.February 2009 was the driest on recordfor the month. More regular showers inlate March and April are allowing riverflows to recover.

The February average flow of thePotomac was about 4.7 billion gallonsper day (bgd), about 57.3 percent lessthan the long-term average of 11.1 bgd.Daily extremes during the month rangedfrom a high of about 7.5 bgd onFebruary14, and dropping to a low ofabout 3.4 bgd on February 27. Watertaken from the river for metropolitan watersupply averaged about 300 milliongallons per day (mgd).

March flows averaged about 3.2 bgd,or about 78.8 percent less than the long-term average of about 15.3 bgd. Theriver’s flow ranged from a low of about 2.6bgd on March 16, and rising with rainfallto a high of about 7.8 bgd on March 31.Water taken for municipal supplyaveraged about 300 mgd. Many Potomacmonitoring sites reached their lowestMarch mean flows on record, includingthe Point of Rocks, Md., gage, which hasoperated since 1895.

restored Monocacy Aqueduct;♦Visit the Mirant-Dickerson Power Plantand whitewater park;♦Meet with county and state electedofficials;♦Conduct amphibian, wetland, andfreshwater mussel surveys;♦Visit the Reston Stream RestorationProject; and♦MORE!

Come for the whole trip or just a day! Thetrip features daytime paddles and eveningscamping out and meeting your fellowRamblers. Meals are provided and gear isshuttled to camping areas along the river.

We want you to focus on the environmentyou are traveling through while we worryabout the logistics. The Ramble is led byprofessional river guides. Read more andregister at www.potomacriver.org.

Contact Adam Griggs atagriggs@icprb.org or 301-984-1908 x103for more information.

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Two ICPRB commissioners recentlyhave added to the history and lore of thewatershed through new publications.

“Anacostia: the Death and Life of anAmerican River,” documents the history andexamines cultural issues of one of the mostimportant and troubled Potomac tributaries.District of Columbia Alternate CommissionerJohn R. Wennersten has focused hisresearch skills on the river and its politicaland cultural environment, and residentsnow have a book that captures a greatwealth of information in a single book. Theeffort comes after books on the ChesapeakeBay, and “Oyster Wars of Chesapeake Bay,”a fascinating read about the lawlesscommercial fishing heritage that came to anend in the early 1960s and resulted in thecreation of the Potomac River FisheriesCommission.

At the same time, the book is anenvironmental history of the watershed, anddelves into the many-faceted issues ofeconomics, development, race, andenvironmental justice. The book exploresthese issues and often illustrates thevarious sides of the discussion through anumber of longtime Anacostia residentsand activists.

Throughout the book, Wennerstenmeticulously documents the forces thatbrought the river to its low, and holds outhope that recent and future generationsreinvigorated to the importance of rivers willlead to a brighter future for the Anacostia.“Anacostia: the Death and Life of an

Commissioners Also Are Authors

Basin. Historic deforestation has greatlyreduced bird, mammal and insect habitats,”the report notes. It also notes that thoseactivities affect more than the Monocacywatershed. “The impact of development inthe Monocacy watershed is not confined tothat basin. The Washington metropolitan

area draws its drinking water from thePotomac downstream from the Monocacy.”

The report is a good primer for thoseplanning to paddle the river during thisyear’s Potomac River Ramble (see relatedstory). The group is planning a report cardfor the watershed in the near future.

American River,” is published byChesapeake Book Company and is widelyavailable.

“The Striped Bass Chronicles: The Sagaof America’s Great Game Fish” by FederalCommissioner George Reiger was originallywritten in 1997, but has been updated.Reiger is no stranger to the angling crowd,having written several other angling andecology books and as conservation editorof Field and Stream Magazine.

Reiger takes readers on a trip throughtime, history, and to both American coasts toexplore the heritage of what many feel isthe country’s preeminent sport fish. Hepaints a mural-sized picture of the fish andthose who pursue it through the musings ofmany historical figures, as well as his ownextensive experience.

Particularly interesting are accounts ofhis striped bass fishing on the metropolitanPotomac near Fletcher’s Boat House aswell as the exploits of earlier anglers, suchas statesman Daniel Webster, who used afly to catch stripers in the District in the early1800s.

Reiger brings the book up to the presentwith discussions about the benefits ofcatch-and-release fishing and the recurringpopulation collapses that being the nation’smost popular sport (and commerciallyharvested) fish have bestowed. “TheStriped Bass Chronicles: The Saga ofAmerica’s Great Game Fish” is published byGlobe Pequot (The Lyons Press), and iswidely available.

The Jim Range National CastingCall, April 26-27, at FletchersBoat House in Washington was atime to celebrate the return of theAmerican shad. The ICPRB-ledrestoration project honoredwaterman Louis Harley, a keyperson working in the restoration,with a Potomac Steward Award.Harley passed away in March.Students from schools that raiseshad for the project attended aswell. In the photo, ICPRB’s JimCummins explains the historictradition of shad planking, whilefish roast on a fire nearby.Joining the group is former Va.Senator John Warner, who told thegroup how he fished with hisfather for shad at Fletcher’s.Warner is a great fan of shad,both in the river and on the plate.

A Spring Celebration of American Shad

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Editors: Curtis M. Dalpra Jennifer D. Willoughby

Published six times a year by the InterstateCommission on the Potomac River Basin, 51Monroe St., Suite PE-08, Rockville, MD20850. (301) 984-1908.

(ISSN 1072-8627)

E-Mail: info@icprb.orgInternet: http://www.potomacriver.orgJoseph K. Hoffman, Executive Director

This publication does not necessarily reflectofficial Commission policies. Funds for theReporter are provided by the U.S.Environmental Protection Agency and thesignatory bodies to ICPRB: District ofColumbia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia,and West Virginia.

As the region greets a new spring,researchers examining the recurringseasonal fish kills on the ShenandoahRiver are watching the waterway closelyand preparing further investigations.

This spring, investigations will focus onweekly observations, continued fish healthevaluations, and in-depth study of possiblebacterial causes, reports the VirginiaDepartment of Environmental Quality(DEQ), which with the state’s Department ofGame and Inland Fisheries, leads the multi-agency Shenandoah River Fish Kill TaskForce. Most of the kills, which began in2004, and in recent years have been seenin the James and Cowpasture rivers, occurin April and May, and cease when watertemperatures warm.

The fish, mostly adult smallmouth bassand sunfish, develop sores on their bodiesthat often lead to death. Some fish have

Preparing for Shenandoah Spring Fish Kills,Officials Ask for Help

died without contracting the lesions.Intensive research has found multiplestressors in the fish’s environment, but noconclusive reasons for the deaths havebeen found. The fish examined containbacterial and fungal infections, andparasites, and have damaged skin, gillsand organs. Scientists will continue tosample the water and fish this spring.

The task force relies on an active,engaged public to help the effort byreporting observations of diseased or deadfish. The information needed includes typesand numbers of fish, location, and anyunusual circumstances, and digitalphotographs are very helpful. Observationscan be given to the DEQ Harrisonburgoffice at (540) 574-7800, or toll free at 1(800) 592-5482, or emailed tofishreports@deq.virginia.gov.