Annual Lower Potomac Tributary Wade

LOWER POTOMAC TEAM

For further information:
MIKE BILEK, TEAM COORDINATOR
DEPT OF NATURAL RESOURCES
TRIBUTARY STRATEGIES PROGRAM
410-260-8988 ~ MBILEK@DNR.STATE.MD.US

The Annual Lower Potomac Tributary Wade In is Sunday, June 22nd from 1 to 5 pm along the shoreline at Mirant's Morgantown Generating Plant.

A wade-in focuses on the health of the Potomac River. Each year, an official depth measurement is recorded at which participants can no longer see their sneakers by looking through the water.

Seemingly unscientific, the measurement is valuable over time. As annual depths increase, sediments and other harmful particles that impact water clarity decrease. Reductions in depth measurements mean there are more sediments.

The "sneaker index" started in 1988 by former Senator Bernie Fowler in the Patuxent River. In 1989, his high top sneakers were lost at a depth of only eight inches. By 2002, the measurement came very close to forty-three inches.

Last year's measurement at Morgantown was 27 inches compared to only 24 inches in 2006; clarity improved.

Rain causes run-off from our backyards and farmlands which contribute to a lack of clarity. Improved water clarity allows sea grasses to grow; abundant sea grasses provide nursery ground for other species to grow and reproduce.

For the past decade, Mirant has hosted the event with food, displays and a raptor show. The event is an excellent educational opportunity for the entire family and can be reached from Route 301 just north of the Harry W. Nice Memorial Bridge.

Mirant brings in sturgeons as a display. These large fish prefer murky river habitats and are a source of caviar. Sturgeons help clean the river by sucking up mayflies and other aquatic insect larvae.
Historic over fishing of this specie has taken the sturgeon population to an all time low. Mirant and others breed sturgeons, but reproductive maturity takes between 15 to 18 years.

Mirant produces electricity at Morgantown through the use of coal and oil. The plant's capacity is 1492 megawatts, which serves the equivalent of 1,492,000 homes. The plant started in 1970, with Mirant acquiring operations in 2000.
Interested persons are welcome to contact Mike Bilek, Trib Team Coordinator with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, on 410-260-8988.