When swimming in places like the Chesapeake Bay or its nearby creeks, it’s natural to notice when one’s feet disappear into the murky water.
For three decades, that curious observation has become a form of measurement to signal changes in the quality of Annapolis creeks.
Waders from GreenGive, a coalition of Anne Arundel environmental organizations, slunk their way into four Annapolis creeks on Saturday and Sunday in the name of science.
Former state Sen. Bernie Fowler began his informal “sneaker index” of water clarity 33 years ago in the Patuxent River. Fowler remembered watching crabs scurry under his feet at chest-high depth when he was a child, and was concerned about the increased murkiness signaling the bay’s declining health.
Excess nutrients like fertilizers and runoff from rainstorms can fuel algae growth, creating cloudy water that blocks sunlight underwater grasses need to survive. Those grasses are critical to the ecology of the bay and its tributaries. Decomposing algae also suck oxygen from the water, worsening the quality.
The results of this year’s wade-in are a bit, well, murky. Compared to last year’s wade in, Back Creek clarity was about the same as last year, College Creek was half as clear, Spa Creek was clearer, and Weems Creek was slightly less clear.
“You wouldn’t write a scientific paper based on this,” Nina Fisher said. But, she added, it’s an easy way to start understanding water quality.
Amy Clements was sad to be wading alone this year. At previous wade-ins, she recalled being joined by children who enjoyed learning about what murky water meant. As a coronavirus precaution, she walked into Spa Creek solo. Though she was glad to be observed by a few kayakers and paddleboarders.
“It’s always fun to have people there who are seeing you do this,” Clements said. “There’s some kind of visibility that there are people who care about the health of the creek and they’re checking on it.”
Clements and her colleagues will likely be some of the last people to dip into the creeks in the near future, as thunderstorms are predicted around Annapolis for the next 10 days.
Swimming in a creek within 48 hours of a rainstorm is a bad idea, Clements warns, as storms wash pollutants like animal droppings, oil and metals into storm drains which run into creeks.
Results
Back Creek
(2019 measurement was 43.3 inches)
40 inches at Annapolis Maritime Museum
30 inches at Annapolis Maritime Museum’s Ellen O. Moyer Back Creek Nature Park
College Creek
(2019 measurement was 39.4?)
19.5 inches at the St. John’s College living shoreline
Spa Creek
(2019 measurement was 19.7?)
26 inches at Truxtun Park
Weems Creek
(2019 measurement was 29.5?)
25.5 inches at Dewey Dock
