Gunpowder Riverkeeper Inc

Water quality monitoring in the gunpowder river. E. Coli samples were collected to inform the public where it was safe to swim in baltimore and harford counties through swim guides and social media outlets based on epa safe swimming criteria. As part of the chesapeake water watch program, we monitored water quality downstream in the tidal gunpowder: turbidity, invivo chlorophyll a, and colored dissolved organic matter levels were measured to assist smithsonian environmental research center (serc) in ground-truthing nasa satellite algorithms. A ysi was used to capture water quality indicators such as dissolved oxygen, temperature, turbidity, ph, and conductivity. This project is ongoing. 20% of total projects.

Days cove rubble landfill discharge permit: we undertook research on the renewal of an administratively continued discharge permit that expired in 2018 that would, if approved allow an additional 12,500 gallons per day of treated leachate to enter the bird and gunpowder river basin. After identifying violations of the discharge permit for alpha-terpinol, trivalent arsenic, biological oxygen demand, copper, nitrogen, zinc and ph we engaged with mde to ask for stronger permit conditions. This project is ongoing. 15% of total projects.

Industrial discharges: the lower gunpowder and bush river are being impacted by industrial facilities that are noncompliant with stormwater discharge permits. In the gunpowder and bush rivers there are 119 facilities under the stormwater permit coverage that has a 25% compliance rate statewide. Riverkeeper appealed the issuance of the new stormwater permit and won a partial remand because the draft permit did not account for climate change, rainfall data, and no exposure certification regulated by national pollution elimination discharge (npdes). Industrial discharge permits identify the permit conditions and assess compliance of these conditions and their impacts to local and downstream water quality in underserved communities. This project is ongoing. 10% of total projects.

Maryland piedmont reliability project: we have been granted intervenor status by the maryland public service commission in the pseg application for public need and necessity to allow for eminent domain proceedings for the maryland piedmont reliability project. Gunpowder riverkeeper is concerned about the 70 mile long, 500,000 volt interstate transmission line potential for environmental impacts to preserved lands, conservation easements, prime agricultural lands, forests, wetlands, cold, drinking water supply streams and sensitive species like trout and endangered species like bog turtles. This project is ongoing. 10% of total projects.

Gunpowder riverkeeper staff and volunteers maintained 10 wader wash stations across 18 miles of the coldwater section of the river to contain didymo algae and coordinated outreach on a new invasive species-new zealand mudsnails in the upper river. This work is ongoing. 5% of total projects.

Gunpowder riverkeeper staff and volunteers worked on advocacy and outreach through the upper watershed with community, office, school groups, and scout and brownie troops on forest to faucet streamwalks and service projects along the river and at sparks nature center to discuss the sources of city drinking water and the importance of protected park and reservoir lands wild trout and coldwater habitat. The work is ongoing 5% of total projects.