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Summer is here (despite what the calendar officially decrees), and we know very well that mariners near and far have begun anchoring out, rafting up and taking their early-season dips in the upper Chesapeake's inlets, anchorages and tidal tributaries.
But swimmers beware: not all area locales are treated equally when it comes to water quality – and your health and safety. Recent data from ShoreRivers, a multi-county, nonprofit organization charged with protecting Maryland's Eastern Shore waterways through science-based advocacy, restoration, education and engagement, found from water samples taken last Thursday, June 6, that nearby waterways may not be well-suited for swimming – at least not for now.
Relative to Kent County and Rock Hall, Turner's Creek, Betterton Beach and Fairlee Creek (all to the north), as well as Southeast Creek, Quaker Neck Landing, Broadneck Landing, Skinners Neck Landing and Bogles Wharf (on the Chester River) and Spring Cove Landing (in Swan Creek) have failed their respective water tests. These tests measure colony forming units (CFU) that estimate the viable number of microbial cells in a given sample. Stay up-to-date on weekly findings at shorerivers.org/swim.
Other Chesapeake water quality resources available to you include the Maryland Department of Natural Resources' Eyes on the Bay, complete with information on Maryland tidal water quality data, as well as an interactive map that displays all Bay collection and partner stations.
Of course, when keeping your boat at or visiting Haven Harbour Marina and Haven Harbour South, you may take full advantage of safe and sanitary swimming in our three private, on-site swimming pools – primed and ready for summertime enjoyment.
Photo by Skyler Ballard of Chesapeake Bay Program.
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