Choptank River may be impacted by the Chesapeake Bay’s water quality

CAMBRIDGE, Md. – Mixed testing results from the Chesapeake Bay are showing right here on Delmarva.

That is because the Chesapeake Bay is connected to the tributaries here.

The Choptank River could be in trouble here if these numbers don’t improve. The river is very prominent here on the Eastern Shore. People use it for recreation like fishing and crabbing. Emily Ranson with Clean Water Action says for that river usage is going to be a major concern.

“When we see worsening water quality, it’s going to have an impact on the creatures, that we all enjoy in that waterway and there’s also just some nasty stuff, that can live in polluted water that we certainly don’t want to be exposed to as people,” says Emily Ranson, Maryland Director of Clean Water Action.

Ranson says we need to be mindful of this trend making sure it is not long-term. Meaning it will take a community effort to do more preventative measures. Ranson says one way to tackle this pollution is by managing chicken waste and the way we fertilize the fields. Another way would be to better manage stormwater.

After a big rain storm if things like dog feces are left on the road it gets washed into the river.