When Jim Long of the Mattawoman Watershed Society called his presentation to the Charles County Commissioners Tuesday, Sept. 30 “The Plight of Mattawoman Creek,” he wasn’t just whistling Dixie.
Long outlined details of how the estuary, once the pride of Charles County, has experienced deteriorating water quality in just a short span of time. As recently as 2005, he said, water quality in the small Potomac tributary was still considered good. In less than a decade, that prognosis for the waterway has headed south.
“You just sent the Comprehensive Plan back to the Planning Commission,” Long told the board. “Those plans are not favorable to Mattawoman Creek. Plans are to make this are an urban core, a center of growth.”
Long stressed that the forested western sections of Charles County represent a significant component of the county’s tourism industry.
“Bass tournaments alone annual value is comparable to the market value of all Charles County agricultural products,” Long said. “The bass fishery is worth $40 million to this county’s economy.”
He added that when you consider those who compete in local bass tournaments spend on hotels, restaurants, local marinas and tackle shops, that $40 million translates into a $1 billion industry.
“Unfortunately, the health of Mattawoman Creek is in decline,” Long said.
“The Mattawoman is at a tipping point,” Margaret McGinty of the Maryland Fisheries Service said. “We do know that as urban demands increase, runoff, erosion, sediment all increases as well. There is a lot of impact development has on these streams. The good news is, it’s not too late to act.”
She warned that impacts of continued development will result in loss of spawning habitat, reduced feeding success in young yellow perch and declines in the number and diversity of fish.
Ken Hastings of Mason Springs Conservancy told the commissioners that a 2007-09 spawning report indicated egg development anomalies in fish species.
Hastings said that if the water is allowed to decline further, it would have the same impact on the estuary as the Anacostia River, considered the most polluted rivers in the world.
Long stated after the presentation that there were several maps in their presentation they were not allowed to show the commissioners, one which showed the fragile waterway surrounded by areas being considered for future development.
“The commissioners just sent the comprehensive plan back to the Planning Commission, but really, it’s basically the same Comprehensive Plan that was approved in 2006,” he stated. “The development lobby is very powerful,” he added.
Contact Joseph Norris at joe.norris@thebaynet.com