Here's what it means. Salinity is a measure of brackishness, or saltiness. In general, the closer you are to the Tangier Sound and Chesapeake Bay itself, the saltier the water becomes. As we would expect, the ponds (SCPO) and farther up-river sites (BRRI) have very low salinity while those closer to the Bay (PIWH and WHVN) are much saltier. Salinity levels can be affected by heavy rainfall and sea-level rise. 

Here's what it means. Chlorophyll A is a measure of plant growth in the water, primarily algae, which is present in the water regardless of its visibility. The dashed line in this graph at 40 ug/L is the level of concern, where high algal growth can negatively impact life in the water. While we would expect the monthly levels to rise and fall over the course of the sampling season, we are looking for the orange bars to remain well below the dashed line.

Here's what it means. In 2023, for the first time, all Wicomico River Creekwatchers volunteers are collecting a second sample for bacterial besting from all of its 26 sites throughout the season. This will provide much greater context and awareness of trends throughout the season (compared to the eight sites previously sampled for bacteria only from Memorial Day through Labor Day). The dashed line at 104 MPN/100mL represents "safe swim level." The presence of large numbers of fecal coliform bacteria may indicate proximity to failing septic systems (private or public). The most dramatic illustration of this was in 2017, the year Salisbury's current wastewater treatment plant (WTP) began operations, and bacterial counts in the river downstream of the plant plummeted. The light gray bar shows the long-term average after the WWTP plant began operation, which brought the average below the dashed line

Here's what it means. pH measures acidity or alkalinity. Pure water is perfectly neutral with a pH of 7. For a river, the ideal pH is around 7.4, or slightly alkaline. The pH of a river, pond or other body of water is affected by acid rain, plant decomposition, agricultural runoff and other pollution. Lower pH (acidic) can be found near power plants, landfills, or large animal farms. Carbon dioxide also lowers pH. The Wicomico River's pH is not remarkable in either direction and appears relatively stable. 

Here's what it means. Nitrate is a form of nitrogen found in fertilizers, wastewater, landfills, animal waste, septic systems or urban drainage. Nitrate is a necessary nutrient for plants, but overuse in fertilizers and farm fields leads to nitrate finding its way into waterways where it encourages overgrowth of algae and other aquatic vegetation. The dashed line in this graph represents the level where nutrients are high enough to cause algal blooms and other negative effects. So while the long-term average levels exceeded this concentration, recent nitrate measures have been trending downward.

Here's what it means. Phosphate is another plant nutrient that can contribute to overgrowth of aquatic vegetation, including algae. Phosphate is also found in fertilizers, and its origin on the Shore is largely from poultry manure, which was for many years overused to fertilize crops. Phosphate levels are not dropping as quickly as nitrate levels, but it is a nutrient that does not break down in soil as quickly as nitrate. It will take years for it to dissipate in the soil, but the good news is that it is not increasing now, generally.

Here's what it means. Water temperature is measured in the field as volunteers are recording other atmospheric and weather conditions while taking samples. We would expect water temperatures to rise and fall over the sample season.