River Report Card: See Which Waterways Flourished, Struggled

ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY, MD — The health grades for three Anne Arundel County rivers were announced recently by a waterway preservation group.

The Arundel Rivers Federation on Thursday released its 2024 report card, giving C's to the South River, the West River and the Rhode River. There were some highlights, however.

In the South River, the river mouth and the Duvall Creek tributary each earned a B-.

The mouth of the West River, collecting a B-, was also among the highest-performing areas. Smith Creek was among the lowest-scoring waterways with its C-.

Testers examined five health indicators: dissolved oxygen, clarity, chlorophyll a (algae), total phosphorus and total nitrogen. This was the first year that nitrogen, phosphorus and chlorophyll a were evaluated.

All three rivers earned an A or an A- for dissolved oxygen. On the flipside, each river also received a D for chlorophyll a.

"Looking at the data, it's clear that our waterways are not where they should be or could be health-wise," South, West and Rhode Riverkeeper Elle Bassett said in a press release. "We have work to do to see these grades improve in the years to come."

Here is the score breakdown for each river:

South River

• Dissolved oxygen: A-
• Clarity: C
• Chlorophyll a (algae): D
• Total phosphorus: C+
• Total nitrogen: B-

West River

• Dissolved oxygen: A
• Clarity: D+
• Chlorophyll a (algae): D
• Total phosphorus: C
• Total nitrogen: B-

Rhode River

• Dissolved oxygen: A
• Clarity: D+
• Chlorophyll a (algae): D
• Total phosphorus: C
• Total nitrogen: C+

The South River saw improvements in oxygen levels with no recorded zero-oxygen events, which indicate a "dead zone." This marked the fifth straight year of gradual improvements in oxygen levels. The river also showed slightly better nitrogen and phosphorus levels compared to the West and Rhode Rivers. The South River continued to receive the best clarity scores of all three rivers.

The West River received the poorest score for clarity of the three rivers, though its clarity improved compared to 2023.

The Rhode River also received the worst scores for both nitrogen and phosphorus compared to the other rivers. The healthiest sites on the Rhode were found at the mouth of the river, while health declined traveling upriver into the smaller tributaries.

Here are the best scores in each category:

• Highest overall grade: South River Mouth and West River Mouth (Both B-, 62%)
• Dissolved oxygen: Sellman Creek (100%)
• Clarity: South River Mouth (55%)
• Chlorophyll a (algae): Aberdeen Creek and Rhode River Channel Marker 7 (Both 35%)
• Total phosphorus: South River Mouth (72%)
• Total nitrogen: Riva (67%)

Here are the worst scores in each category:

• Lowest overall grade: Smith Creek (C-, 44%)
• Dissolved oxygen: Gingerville Creek (67%)
• Clarity: Smith Creek (28%)
• Chlorophyll a (algae): Upper South River (22%)
• Total phosphorus: Lerch Creek (29%)
• Total nitrogen: South River Channel Marker 8 (53%)

"As someone who plays, fishes, and swims with my family in these rivers - this data is invaluable to know and understand," Bassett said. "Polluted waterways impact our economy, fisheries, property values, and health. Understanding the health of the rivers and implementing the solutions to improve them is essential to our vision of healthy waterways for all."

Residents can read the full report and see scores for individual creeks and subwatersheds at arundelrivers.org/2024reportcard.