Restore Rock Creek

Stormwater run off – Rock Hill Subdivision

restorerockcreek — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 23:17:01 +0000

This could be prevented with rainbarrels – most of this water comes from houses with gutters empting on to driveways.

Beautiful Waterfronts

restorerockcreek — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 13:52:11 +0000

http://picasaweb.google.com/RestoreRC/BeautifulWaterfronts#

6 foot tall “gravity” wall supporting 35’ embankment; no geogrid in this project
Structure installed Jan/Feb ’09; plantings in April ‘09
www.furbishco.com

Fort Smallwood Clean up

restorerockcreek — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 01:50:29 +0000

It was a beautiful day and over 100 people showed up to help pick up trash at Fort Smallwood Park at the mouth of Rock Creek. Eileen and I arrived by kayak and next year we are hoping more people from the head waters of the creek join us. It was difficult paddle with the white caps and 10 – 12 knt of head wind!

Weekend Update

restorerockcreek — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 16:13:11 +0000

Here is what I heard/learned:

Crabbing has been ok this season in some area of the creek. The past couple of week’s crabs in this area were trying to get out of the water when the dissolved oxygen levels became too low. You could practically pick them up according to local residence.
Foul smells were experienced last week near the head of the creek. Most likely caused by a severe Phytoplankton bloom off Ft. Smallwood on the Patapsco River on September 10^th & 11^th. http://mddnr.chesapeakebay.net/newmontech/contmon/eotb_results_graphs.cfm?station=FortSmallwood
Another neighbor reported seeing an algae bloom in all of the shallower upper reaches of the creek. It is likely the same thing is going on in Rock Creek as in the Patapsco River. Once you get closer to White Rocks marina, the bloom is not so obvious. The aerators are helping, but you can see they “push” the algae to shallower areas nearby. Dissolved oxygen during the daytime is typically high or very high levels; as the algae photosynthesize and produce oxygen…it’s at night time; when the sun isn’t fueling photosynthesis; that DO levels drop significantly…So right around dawn is when DO would be at its lowest and the potential for fish kills would be at its highest. One of the other negative effects of the algae blooms is increased turbidity (cloudiness in the water…) because that reduces light penetration through the water column affecting the successful growth of underwater grasses. Of course the ultimate cause of the bloom is nutrient enrichment. The nutrients come from a lot of sources in our watershed.

Help Clean up Rock Creek at Fort Smallwood Park, Sept 19

restorerockcreek — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 22:25:40 +0000

Fort Smallwood Park

Description:
Date:	Sep 19, 2009
Cleanup Type:	Beach/Shore
This is a County Park. This cleanup is in cooperation with Anne Arundel County Parks & Recreation. The guard at front gate will direct you to area within the park. Tell guard you are with International Coastal Clean-up. Site Captain is Janet Downs. Park your car and register with the Site Captain. Thank you very much for your help. Park Phone # 410-222-6230.
Register!

Distressed Aquatic Life

restorerockcreek — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 20:46:37 +0000

Contacted MDE this morning to report distressed crabs and dead fish in the Rock Creek . Chris Luckett from MDE will be assessing the cause of the problem and visiting the Creek tomorrow.

From MDE’s Website:

How to Help

If you notice an unusual accumulation of dead or distressed fish or aquatic life, we strongly encourage you to call the State’s Environmental Hotline at (877) 224-7229. The number can also be used to report algal blooms, unsafe boating and accidents, hazards to navigation, illegal fishing, sewer overflows, oil/hazmat spills, critical areas and wetlands violations, and other suspicious activities.