13. Primary/active Economic Sectors in the River Basin
Military base
Tourism
Patuxent River State
Park
Landfill
The Patuxent Wildlife
Research Center
Kings Landing Park
Bowie Race Track
14. Water quality assessment for river basin (recent trends, identification of
impaired waters)
Main contributors to impairment:
Nitrogen
Phosphorus
Sediment
19. Pollution Sources
Patuxent River Commision ->
Patuxent River Policy Plan ->
20/20 Plan (2007) written by The Patuxent Riverkeeper
4 Main Sources (In Descending Order of Impact):
- Development
- Agriculture
- Air Deposition
- Individual Polluting Facilities (Point)
Main Pollutants:
- Phosphorous
- Nitrogen
- Sediment
- Others (thermal, pesticides, oil)
20. Sources of Sediment in the Patuxent River
● Over 50% come from agriculture
● The remaining comes mostly from urban
runoff
(2005)
21. Key Source of Pollution
Wastewater Treatment Plants
- Biggest polluter of all point sources
- Responsible for 16% of all Nitrogen and for 25% of all Phosphorous in the
watershed
- Hard to keep technology updated with continuously growing population;
expensive
- Smaller facilities lack funding
● Trends
22. Current management goals for river basin
There are three goals right now:
● Denitrification of groundwater
in the Patuxent River Basin
● Patuxent River and Watershed
Restoration
● Restoration of aquatic habitats
24. Bibliography
25 Can’t-Miss Things to Do Along the Chesapeake Bay. Visit Maryland. n.d. Web. 3 March 2016.
Bay Health Index: Patuxent River 2012. Integration and Application Network: University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science,
2012. Web.
Patuxent River Policy Plan: 2015. Patuxent River Commission. 14 May 2014. Web. 3 March 2016
Patuxent Wildlife Research Center. n.d. Web. 3 March 2016..
Patuxent River State Park. Maryland Department of Natural Resources. n.d. Web. 3 March 2016.
"Restoration & Protection of Ecosystems." Restoration & Protection of Ecosystems. Web. 03 Mar. 2016.
Testa, Jeremy M., Kemp, Michael W., Boynton, Walter R., Hagy, James D. “Long-Term Changes in Water Quality and Productivity in
the Patuxent River Estuary: 1985 to 2003.” Coastal and Estuarine Research Federation. n.p. 18 September 2008. Web. 3 March 2016.
United States: Maryland. MDP Land Use/Land Cover Interactive Map. n.d. Web. 3 March 2016.
25. Bibliography
United States. Census Bureau. n.d. Web. 3 March 2016.
United States. Department of the Interior. Factors Affecting Nutrient Trends in Major Rivers of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. Water
Resources Investigations Report 00-4218. Washington: USGS, 2000. Web.
Upper Little Patuxent River Watershed Management Plan. Howard County Department of Public Works. n.d. Web. 3 March 2016.
University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science. n.d. Web. 3 March 2016.
Editor's Notes
On my note card:
-Naval Air Station: provide a base for business
-for tourism: there are a lot of activities that happen around the Patuxent River; they have paid activities and free activities for the public; they have a 4 mile drive that goes near the river, people can get a tour of the Billingsley historic house looking over the Patuxent
-Patuxent River State Park: they have catch and release streams for trout, and certain times of the year they can bowhunt for deer in certain areas or hunt dove, the park has people who make sure people are following the hunting laws and regulations
-Landfill: people are paying to put trash that “The Little Patuxent 4 subwatershed contains buildings and ponds associated with the landfill.” if it rains and water carries the trash into the river, this could cause pollution
-Patuxent River Wildlife Research: they research a lot of different animals and plants in the area, but it is not open to the public. They are not willing to share the information they are researching right now
-Kings Landing Park: has a large equestrian facility, fishing, hiking, the Chesapeake Bay Gateways Network help visitors learn about the significance of the river and the abundant wildlife that depend on it, they have wedding ceremonies there as well, they have kayak, canoe and stand-up paddleboard rentals from May through November
-USGS is a government agency that runs the Wildlife Research Center in Laurel, MD (Barka and I went there)
University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science rated the Patuxent health as POOR, giving it a D, 29%
USGS reports that Nitrogen and Phosphorus concentrations have significantly decreased through their Patuxent River RIM station from 1985 through 1998, primarily due to the installation of BNR(Biological Nutrient Removal) treatment processes at eight sewage treatment facilities above the RIM station. Also because of the 1985 ban on phosphates in detergents. Because of rapid urbanization, pollution concentrations from runoff is expected to increase
Director's Award from American Water Works Association (1/7 in country) Montgomery County
a. Denitrification of groundwater in the Patuxent River Basin
“Reduce the amount of nitrate in the groundwater flowing through the sediments and consequently into the Bay.”
Try to create different plans for different pollution sources instead of a “one size fits all”
Measure nutrient loads in the Patuxent basin
b. Patuxent River and Watershed Restoration
Watershed encompasses seven counties- Montgomery, Howard, Prince George’s, Anne Arundel, Charles, Calvert, and St. Mary
Policy plan was written in 1984, implemented in 1997
Phase I completed in December 2010, Phase II completed in March 2012
Some counties are still finishing implementation of the plan. Montgomery is working on “stormwater section of the county’s Phase II WIP, which included forming a workgroup that tackled issues relating to permit requirements, watersheds, local TMDLs, timelines, and strategy”
c. Restoration of aquatic habitats
i. 2003-Chesapeake Bay Program set a goal of “planting 405 ha of SAV by 2008”
ii. 13.4 ha/year of SAV has been planted since 2003
iii. From 1983-2003, only 3.6 ha/year of SAV had been planted
-Image: Volunteers plant sea grass as part of a restoration effort in the Patuxent River, Chesapeake Bay. Sea grass beds restoration is beneficial given that it is a key component of aquatic ecosystems due to its role in nutrient absorption and recycling.
-Map: possibility of denitrification in the Patuxent River
