By Christy Goodman
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, April 27, 2008

The Patuxent River barely escaped an F on the first report card issued by Patuxent Riverkeeper and the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science.

The river's health, which received a D-minus, was graded based on data collected by state and federal agencies on dissolved oxygen, water clarity, aquatic grasses and other factors.

Similar measures were used to grade the Chesapeake Bay, which got a C-minus in 2007.

The report card "provides the way for citizens . . . to be better empowered . . . to make better decisions," said Frederick L. Tutman, leader of the Riverkeeper project.

Water clarity was consistently poor throughout the waterway, but the upper estuary scored higher overall with a C-minus, compared with an F in the lower estuary, the report said.

The northern regions of the river had relatively high amounts of aquatic grasses and met target levels for chlorophyll and dissolved oxygen. In the southern region, where the river forms the line between Charles and Calvert counties, all the indicators scored low.

The water quality problems were caused primarily by rapid development, said William C. Dennison, vice president for science applications at the Center for Environmental Science.

"Clearly it points to where we need more progress," Dennison said. He noted that a major point of pollution on the Patuxent River was a wastewater treatment plant in Upper Marlboro that has upgraded its equipment since information was gathered for the report card.

As a first step toward improving the river's grade, the organizations plan to enlist volunteers who live on or near the river to conduct daily samplings of its water. The samples will be treated with simple chemicals that will help determine clarity and other characteristics. Results will be posted daily on a Web site, allowing residents to compare and contrast the data, Dennison said.

If the initial monitoring conducted by residents shows an area of concern, scientists can then do more precise testing to identify pollution sources, Tutman said.

The daily testing will "serve as a guide, a roadway, for the community to restore these watersheds" and help pinpoint problem areas that need funding for improvements, said Jana L.D. Davis of the Chesapeake Bay Trust.

In addition to gaining a better understanding of the Patuxent River, the organizations hope the new data will inspire the public to be better stewards of the land and incorporate land-use practices, such as green roofs and rain gardens, to help manage storm water runoff.

The comprehensive data also could be useful in supporting efforts to obtain more state and federal funding to help clean up the river, Dennison said.

"We've met the enemy of the bay, and it is us. We have to solve the problem," he said.

Calvert has taken steps to preserve about 30 percent of its land from development to keep the rural landscape and prevent runoff.

"We are sensitive to water and the environment, because we are surrounded by water. We can solve a portion of the problem, but the biggest issue is . . . going to require a concerted effort along that whole river to clean it up," said Wilson H. Parran (D-Huntingtown), president of the Calvert Board of County Commissioners.

The 110-mile Patuxent River is the longest intrastate waterway in Maryland. It drains more than 950 square miles of land in Howard, Montgomery, Anne Arundel, Charles, Calvert and Prince George's counties.

To volunteer to perform water quality tests, call 301-249-8200 or go tohttp://www.paxriverkeeper.org.