Creekwatchers - Water Monitoring Program
DCPG Creekwatcher volunteers, along with volunteers from the Nanticoke Watershed Alliance, have been monitoring water quality at 9 stations every 2 weeks since 2008.
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in 2019 new sampling locations were added in Cambridge, at Cambridge Creek near Cedar Street.
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At each station, volunteers collect and record water temperature, salinity, water clarity, and dissolved oxygen. Then samples are sent to Envirocore Labs in Delaware and University of Maryland, Horn Point for analysis of Nitrogen, Phosphorous, and e. coli bacteria.
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Station Locations:
Little Blackwater - 3 stations
Transquaking River - 1 station
Chicamicomico River - 1 station
Choptank River at Sailwinds Park - 1 station
MSLBL - 1 station
Smith Cove - 1 station
Northeast Branch - 1 station
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Monitoring Parameters:
Dissolved Oxygen
Temperature
Salinity
Water Clarity
Nitrogen
Phosphorous
Bacteria
Creekwatchers
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DCPG Creekwatchers are trained in the collection of samples, calibration of sampling equipment, and packing of samples for transportation to area labs for analysis. Samples are collected rain or shine every 2 weeks throughout the year.
This photo shows Creekwatcher Richard Ball demonstrating one of the water quality meters to a group of local students.
Bacteria Results Published on Swim Guide
Working together with ShoreRivers & Nanticoke Watershed Alliance, summer bacteria monitoring will be provided weekly through the Swim Guide downloadable phone ap, and website.
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Disclaimer: The information contained on this page is for informational purposes only. All sites monitored are natural waterbodies and contaminants are present from a wide variety of sources. Local conditions fluctuate, sometimes dramatically, and especially after rainfall events. The results displayed above are only representative of the exact time, date, and location at which the sample was taken and do not represent the water quality between sampling events or at other locations nearby on the river. Users of these data should not assume that a “low” E. coli level means that it is necessarily safe or risk-free to make contact with the water. E. coli is not the only contaminant of concern for recreational users and is used merely as an indicator of potential fecal contamination. Dorchester Citizens for Planned Growth, their employees, and agents can provide no guaranty of water safety and, as such, the user assumes all risk associated with the use of these data and swimming in the Choptank River.