Chesapeake Bay News

According to the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, renovations of the Lapidum Boating Facility in Susquehanna State Park are now complete. The project was a partnership effort between DNR, the Department of General Services and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.

The Lapidum Boating Facility provides an important access point to the Susquehanna River downstream of the Conowingo Dam, an area renowned for fishing, boating, hunting and general recreation for the public.

The renovations included replacing the deteriorated boarding pier with a state-of-the-art floating dock, improving both the safety and ease of use of the facility at the varying water levels experienced at Lapidum.

The stone breakwater was also renovated to provide essential protection from storms and wave action and the parking area was expanded to accommodate more users due to high demand. The new and improved facility is also ADA compliant.

The total cost of the construction phase was $435,000, with funds coming from both state and federal sources. State funding was provided through a DNR Waterway Improvement Fund grant of $135,000.

Revenue for the fund comes from the one-time 5 percent excise tax paid when a boat is purchased and titled in the State of Maryland. The Waterway Improvement Fund was created in 1966 to support the development, use, and enjoyment of all waters in Maryland for the benefit of the general boating public.

The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service provided $300,000 through the Federal Sport Fish Restoration Program which is a user pay, user benefit grant program funded by federal excise tax on fishing equipment and fuel tax from motor boats.

source: MD DNR

According to the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, early March runoff into the Susquehanna River watershed from heavy rains and snowmelt has brought a flood of nutrients and sediment-laden freshwater flowing into the Chesapeake Bay. This heavy spring runoff has resulted in record low water clarity for the month of March in many areas of Maryland’s portion of the Chesapeake Bay.

Continued wet spring weather could extend these high flows which, in turn, could result in less underwater grasses and increased algal blooms. The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is expected to continue its comprehensive Chesapeake Bay water quality habitat and living resources monitoring to assess any short- or long-term storm-related impacts.

On March 12, 2011, two days after a very heavy rain event (2+ inches) across the region, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) recorded a peak “flow” of 485,000 cubic feet/second (cfs) from the Susquehanna River at Conowingo Dam. Average monthly flows at that site in March are about 75,000 cfs. This is the highest average daily flow rate observed at the dam since floodwaters from Tropical Storm Ivan passed in September 2004.

A review of 26 years of water clarity data collected by the State shows that depth measurements in the Chesapeake Bay and many tributaries in March 2011 are below historic measures or set new historic lows.

A high amount of freshwater flowing into the Chesapeake Bay erodes sediments and transports polluted runoff (including nutrients and sediments) downstream towards the Bay.

The early spring season is a critical period for underwater grasses, which are beginning to grow. Also affected are saltwater and anadromous fish such as striped bass, yellow perch, river herring and American shad, all of which spawn in the Chesapeake during the Spring.

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) will be making modifications to the boat launching pier in the Lapidum Area of Susquehanna State Park. The project will begin March 14 and should be completed in less than three work days, weather permitting.

Due to fabrication of the new floating pier, work cannot begin any sooner. One launch ramp will remain open during construction in order to minimize the interruption of public access. There may be brief periods during which both ramps will be closed due to safety concerns, however, every effort will be made to minimize any interruption if it is safe to do so.

The existing aluminum gangway will be removed and utilized at another DNR facility in the future. The gangway will be replaced with four sections of floating pier that will join the existing concrete floating pier. The floating pier sections will improve the use of the facility at both high and low tide. The modifications of the launching facility will ensure safe, user friendly access to the Susquehanna River for boaters.

For further information, including details on construction dates, please contact park headquarters at (410) 557-7994.

source: MD DNR

On July 6th, a team of biologists from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources’ (DNR) Monitoring and Non-tidal Assessment Division spotted several suspected zebra mussel adults for the first time in the lower Susquehanna River below the Conowingo Dam.

These recent findings indicate that a population of this non-native, invasive mussel is established in this part of the Susquehanna. The first-ever sightings of zebra mussels in Maryland occurred in the lower Susquehanna River upstream of the Conowingo in November 2008.

“Most of the specimens were the largest I’ve ever seen, ranging up to 38 mm (almost 1-1/2 inches) in shell length, and they were probably three to four years old,” said DNR Biologist Ron Klauda.

Zebra mussels (Dreissena polymorpha) have caused over five billion dollars in damages and economic losses in North America since they were introduced into the Great Lakes during the 1980s. Based on studies conducted in the Hudson River Estuary, New York, the potential impacts of zebra mussels on the freshwater to slightly brackish portions of Maryland’s aquatic ecosystem could be substantial, with effects on all aspects of the food web from plankton to fish by outcompeting native species, filtering all available plankton and rapidly colonizing large areas.

“The good news is that, at least for now, the density of zebra mussels appears to be low,” said DNR Natural Resource Biologist Jay Kilian.

Boaters, anglers and other recreational water users who enjoy the lower Susquehanna River can help stop the spread of harmful zebra mussels to other Maryland waters by taking these simple precautions before launching and before leaving:

(1) Remove all aquatic plants and mud from boats, motors, and trailers, and put the debris in the trash.

(2) Drain river water from boat motors, bilges, live wells, bait buckets and coolers before leaving to prevent aquatic hitchhikers from riding along.

(3) Dispose of unused live bait on shore far from the water body or in the trash.

(4) Rinse boats, motors, trailers, live wells, bait buckets, coolers and scuba gear with high pressure or hot water between trips to different water bodies.

(5) Dry everything at least two days (preferably five days) between outings.

DNR urges boaters to do their part to stop the introduction and spread of zebra mussels and other invasive species in Maryland. Citizens who find what look like zebra mussels should seal them in a zip lock bag, put the bag in the freezer, record where and when they were found and report the find to DNR at 410-260-8615.

For more information about zebra mussels and other invasive species in Maryland, call 1-877-620-8DNR or visit www.dnr.maryland.gov/invasives.

source: DNR press release

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Water Improvement Fund has partnered with Perryville to increase tourism and stimulate the local economy, while increasing public access to the Susquehanna River. With $618,950 from the Waterway Improvement Fund, Perryville recently awarded a contract worth approximately $1.14 million to construct a new boating pier and twelve boat slips to Maryland based contractor Dissen and Juhn.

“This is a wonderful project that will both help the local economy as well as expand public access to the Susquehanna,” said DNR Director of Boating Services Bob Gaudette.

The new pier will be 575 feet long, and 10 feet wide, with a gangway connecting to a floating dock system that will provide 12 new boat slips for visiting boaters. Residents will also enjoy access to the pier for nature watching and town events. Construction will begin in December and is expected to be completed by November 2010.

“We view this project as an enhancement to the Lower Susquehanna River trail system, an economic stimulus through increased tourism and additional water access for this river front community,” said Perryville Mayor James L. Eberhardt.

“This project will greatly enhance water access, recreation, heritage tourism and hopefully be the impetus for the economic development of the town’s waterfront as well as the revitalization of the old downtown area,” said Town Commissioner Barbara A. Brown. “I am extremely happy that everyone who has worked with the town to make this project happen will see their efforts pay off.”

The Waterway Improvement Fund is supported by the 5 percent vessel excise tax that is paid when a boat is titled in Maryland. The project is also funded in part with federal funds from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and by Perryville.

source: DNR press release

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has launched an education and outreach campaign to inform the public about the threats posed by zebra mussels. More than 20 years ago zebra mussels were introduced into the Great Lakes in ship ballast water. Now this non-native, invasive mussel has found its way into Maryland. The mussels were discovered last fall in the Susquehanna River, at and upstream from the Conowingo Dam.

“We want boaters and anglers who use the lower Susquehanna to know that zebra mussels likely now live there,” said Ron Klauda, a biologist with DNR. “We’re again asking everyone to take a few precautionary steps now to hopefully head off the potentially devastating environmental and economic impacts in Maryland that this small, invasive mussel has had in other parts of the country.”

DNR convened a Zebra Mussel Information Exchange in Annapolis in January 2009, where it formed the Mid-Atlantic Zebra Mussel Working Group to continue the discussion on zebra mussel ecology, distribution, monitoring and control technology and to develop a response plan.

The agency recently posted STOP AQUATIC HITCHHIKERS signs at boat ramps and marinas along the Harford and Cecil county sides of the Susquehanna between the Pennsylvania-Maryland border and the river mouth as a part of the response plan.

The large “hot pink” signs ask boaters and anglers to follow these five simple steps before launching and leaving:

(1) REMOVE aquatic plants and mud from your boat, motor and trailer, and put the debris in a trash can (or at least on shore, far from the water).
(2) DRAIN river water from your boat, motor, bilge, bait buckets, live wells and coolers.
(3) DISPOSE of unused live bait on shore far from the water or in a trash can.
(4) RINSE your boat, motor, trailer, live wells, bait buckets, coolers and SCUBA gear with high pressure or hot water.
(5) DRY everything for at least 5 days between outings.

For personal watercraft, impeller areas can harbor zebra mussels and aquatic plants with attached mussels.

When your watercraft is on the trailer, run the engine for 5-10 seconds to blow out excess water and any associated mussels and plants.

Before leaving the area, inspect and REMOVE any zebra mussels, plants, mud, and other debris from the intake, steering nozzle, hull and trailer.

The only place zebra mussels are currently found in Maryland is the lower Susquehanna. Zebra mussels threaten fish and other aquatic life by consuming available food and smothering native mussels. They can ruin boat motors by clogging their cooling systems and jamming steering components. A single female mussel can release up to a million eggs each season, quickly increasing the population. They can encrust walls of intake structures and clog pipes at drinking water facilities and power plants. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers calculated economic losses related to zebra mussel infestations at more than $5 billion between 1993 and 1999, not including the costs of ecological damages.

“Nobody can say for sure how zebra mussels found their way into the lower Susquehanna, but experiences with them in other parts of the country have taught us they are effective hitchhikers on boats and trailers,” said Klauda. “We also don’t know how long zebra mussels have been there or if they’ll become established and start to reproduce in great numbers this summer. We are concerned that the mussel population in the lower Susquehanna could take off like they did in the Hudson River back in the early to mid-1990s and we could be dealing with billions by the end of 2010.”

In addition to taking preventive measures to stop the spread, DNR is also asking boaters and anglers to be vigilant and contact the agency if they find anything that they suspect to be zebra mussels in the lower Susquehanna or elsewhere in the state. While young mussels are too small to see, newly settled young feel like fine sand paper on boat hulls and other smooth surfaces. Adult mussels are usually about the size of a fingernail and commonly have alternating dark and light stripes. Anyone spotting a suspected zebra mussel should put it into a zip-lock bag, place a paper label inside containing the collection site and date written in pencil, freeze the bag and its contents and report the finding to DNR toll free at 1-877-6208-DNR extension 8615 or 410-260-8615.

For more information on zebra mussels and other invasive species, visit DNR’s website: www.dnr.maryland.gov/invasives.