patuxent oral presentation

Patuxent RiverMichelle Alban, Zack Frankian, Bryan Kim, Joanne

Pan, Barka T-W Shimelis, Shane Wellnitz

PatuxetPawtuxunt

Population Density Census Tract Resolution

Land use 1973

Land use 2010

Primary/active Economic Sectors in the River BasinMilitary base

Tourism

Patuxent River State Park

Landfill

The Patuxent Wildlife Research Center

Kings Landing Park

Bowie Race Track

Water quality assessment for river basin (recent trends, identification of impaired waters)

Main contributors to impairment:

Nitrogen

Phosphorus

Sediment

Little Patuxent Water Reclamation Plant

WSSC Patuxent Water Filtration Plant

Pollution SourcesPatuxent River Commision ->Patuxent River Policy Plan ->20/20 Plan (2007) written by The Patuxent Riverkeeper

4 Main Sources (In Descending Order of Impact):- Development- Agriculture- Air Deposition- Individual Polluting Facilities (Point)

Main Pollutants:- Phosphorous- Nitrogen- Sediment- Others (thermal, pesticides, oil)

Sources of Sediment in the Patuxent River

● Over 50% come from agriculture● The remaining comes mostly from urban

runoff

(2005)

Key Source of PollutionWastewater Treatment Plants

- Biggest polluter of all point sources

- Responsible for 16% of all Nitrogen and for 25% of all Phosphorous in the watershed

- Hard to keep technology updated with continuously growing population; expensive

- Smaller facilities lack funding

● Trends

- Nitrogen and Phosphorous levels are close to half of what they were in 1985

- Pollution from point sources in general have decreased.

Current management goals for river basin

There are three goals right now:● Denitrification of groundwater

in the Patuxent River Basin● Patuxent River and Watershed

Restoration● Restoration of aquatic habitats

Conclusion

Bibliography25 Can’t-Miss Things to Do Along the Chesapeake Bay. Visit Maryland. n.d. Web. 3 March 2016.

Bay Health Index: Patuxent River 2012. Integration and Application Network: University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, 2012. Web.

Patuxent River Policy Plan: 2015. Patuxent River Commission. 14 May 2014. Web. 3 March 2016

Patuxent Wildlife Research Center. n.d. Web. 3 March 2016..

Patuxent River State Park. Maryland Department of Natural Resources. n.d. Web. 3 March 2016.

"Restoration & Protection of Ecosystems." Restoration & Protection of Ecosystems. Web. 03 Mar. 2016.

Testa, Jeremy M., Kemp, Michael W., Boynton, Walter R., Hagy, James D. “Long-Term Changes in Water Quality and Productivity in the Patuxent River Estuary: 1985 to 2003.” Coastal and Estuarine Research Federation. n.p. 18 September 2008. Web. 3 March 2016.

United States: Maryland. MDP Land Use/Land Cover Interactive Map. n.d. Web. 3 March 2016.

Bibliography

United States. Census Bureau. n.d. Web. 3 March 2016.

United States. Department of the Interior. Factors Affecting Nutrient Trends in Major Rivers of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. Water Resources Investigations Report 00-4218. Washington: USGS, 2000. Web.

Upper Little Patuxent River Watershed Management Plan. Howard County Department of Public Works. n.d. Web. 3 March 2016.

University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science. n.d. Web. 3 March 2016.