Calvert County Expansion and Water Conservation, Maryland

Emily Michalko, Charisma Duff, and Justin Galvin from Michelle Stover's English class at Calvert High School take a look at how water quality in Calvert County has been impacted by fishing and development. They interview County Commissioner Steve Weems and builder Dave Stover about regulations and protecting water quality.

Find the complete transcript at the bottom of this page.

Speaker 1: Water: it's all around us. When you live in a county that is surrounded by water, it can become a lifeline to most people who live there. Calvert County is one of the smallest counties in Maryland and it is a peninsula. To the east lies the Chesapeake Bay and to the west flows the Patuxent River. From when the first settlers came to Calvert, they found oysters, which turned out to be a great business. However, the settlers didn't know much about moderation because by the time they had figured out that the water was getting polluted, it was because they were taking out all of the natural filters from the water. Ever since this event occurred, the counties around the bay have dealt with filthy bay water. Calvert County's kept modernizing but eventually repeated the past by extensive building.

Speaker 1: [0:47] The construction in some forms were leading runoff into the bay, which caused water quality to go way down. This decline in water quality has led to multiple conclusions that Calvert County as a whole should start helping the bay and river. Certain building regulations have been put into place so runoff would hopefully stop and Calvert County could conform to the needs of the citizens. Over the years, Calvert County has grown. Within Calvert, there are many town centers which bring businesses and money to the county. These town centers have expanded. Three major centers are Prince Frederick, Dunkirk, and Solomons.

Speaker 1: [1:22] In Prince Frederick, the main watershed is Parkers Creek with an area of 7,949 acres. Out of the 7,949 acres, 774 acres are critical area. In this situation, the less critical area there is in a watershed, the better it is for the creatures living there. Parkers Creek is about 3.4 miles long. The streams in the watershed have had samples taken by Maryland Department of Natural Resources and the Maryland Biological Stream Survey in this watershed between 1997 and 2017. This survey has found 19 species of FIDS are found regularly there. FIDS are the Forest Interior Dwelling Species. They can be birds or fish.

Speaker 1: [2:05] FIDS habitat is defined as a forest tract that is larger than 50 acres. The FIDS habitats are protected under the Critical Areas Law in Maryland. To the north is Dunkirk. The main watershed is Hall Creek. The total area of Hall Creek watershed is 10,445 acres. Out of that, 884 acres are critical area. There are about 21 miles of streams, according to Maryland Biological Stream Survey, conducted by Maryland Department of Natural Resources. In those streams, the survey collected 18 species between 1997 and 2017. The FIDS can live in about 12% of the watershed. To the south of the county is Solomons. The main watershed in Solomons is Mill Creek watershed with an area of 6,337 acres. There are almost 4 miles of streams based on the sampling results of the Southern Maryland watershed. There are likely 10 to 12 or more species of fish living in the Mill Creek watershed.

Speaker 1: [3:05] FIDS are occupying 427 acres of the watershed. This number indicates that some species of birds or fish can live and thrive in that watershed. Impervious land cover is any surface on the land that cannot effectively absorb precipitation. Impervious surfaces include roads, parking lots, driveways, sidewalks, and rooftops. 964 acres of that total watershed is covered in impervious surfaces and the second-highest behind another watershed within Calvert. These watersheds are the main three within Calvert. They are the ones that have shown the most growth and development.

Speaker 1: [3:44] The reason why this information is being said is to get the point across that this information could be better. Impervious surfaces could be lower, but that's just fine. The FIDS percentage could be higher and the animals could be thriving more than they are but the fact is everyone could be nicer and everyone could recycle. But being realistic, what needs to improve is how the builders are treating the environment because if they are just painting a picture for the inspector just once, what is really going to keep them from ruining the water around Calvert? If these town centers keep expanding, the watersheds will need to be protected more. County Commissioner Weems has been an advocate of water quality along with former Senator Bernie Fowlers.

County Commissioner Weems: [4:23]  I attend former senator Bernie Fowler's Wade In each year and as such, we go over the scorecard at that event. He's been a stalwart advocate of water quality and my presence there is out of respect for him and his advocacy.

Speaker 1: [4:51] The builders have started to put up the silt fence and even if they're just putting it up for the inspector just once, it may help water quality. A silt fence is called a filter fence. It is a temporary sediment-control device used at construction sites to protect water quality in nearby streams, rivers, lakes, and seas from sediment and stormwater runoff.

Additional content in transcript.

Asset ID: 8571
Themes: Water, waterways, climate, ecology, policy, biology, careers, work
Date recorded: 2019
Length of recording: 6:25 m
Related traveling exhibition: Water/Ways
Sponsor or affiliated organization: Calvert County Library and Bayside History Museum
More information: https://www.thebaynet.com/articles/1018/calvert-library-students-join-up-for-smithsonian-project.html