Hello!
With good weather early in the week, all of our sites had bacteria levels that were well within acceptable levels for recreational water activities. The samples are analyzed by Home Land Labs. Please keep in mind that samples were collected on Wednesday, prior to Thursday night’s rain. The precipitation washes pollutants from the surrounding watershed into the waterways and may increase bacteria levels of the water.
Anne Arundel County has a 48 hour no swimming/recreational guidance of water ways after a rain event.
On Wednesday, June 2nd, Arundel Rivers Federation volunteers collected water samples at the locations listed on the chart. Feces from geese and dogs, as well as leaky septic tanks are the top contributors to high bacteria results. The acceptable concentration of Enterococci bacteria for swimming and other direct water contact is less than 104 (cfu) colony forming units/100ml.
Have a safe and fun weekend,
Jesse Iliff
South, West and Rhode Riverkeeper
