An interagency Task Forced led by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources has released a major report titled The Case for Protection of the Watershed Resources of Mattawoman Creek: Recommendations and Management Initiatives to Protect the Mattawoman Ecosystem. The report calls for significant changes to growth patterns in the Mattawoman Creek watershed, and warns of dire consequences to the health of the waterway if growth continues as planned.  Despite the scientific rigor of the report and its significant findings, the county Planning Commission that oversees the required Comprehensive Plan update has so far ignored the report’s recommendations.

 

The opening statement of the report states: “The estuarine portions of the creek can be described as what a restored Chesapeake Bay would look like. There are extensive SAV beds, anadromous fish migrate here to spawn in significant numbers, various native resident fish species thrive, and its fisheries are productive. It is one of the most important habitats and nursery areas of the Potomac River for largemouth bass and this fishery is one of America’s best, attracting high-profile tournaments and anglers from all over the country. . . . Mattawoman Creek was characterized in the early 1990s as “near to the ideal conditions as can be found in the northern Chesapeake Bay, perhaps unattainable in the other systems, and should be protected from overdevelopment.”

 

“However, possible signs of stress associated with human development have appeared. Loss of stream spawning sites with anadromous fish has been detected, perhaps signaling deterioration of stream habitat. Declining, but still good dissolved oxygen in the estuary may be an early warning of deterioration there. Fisheries Service monitoring indicates that Mattawoman Creek’s fish habitat has declined as impervious surface has increased beyond a threshold level.”

 

“This report clearly shows the connection between land use and water quality by using one of the Chesapeake Bay’s finest and most vulnerable tributaries as an example,” said Terry Cummings, Maryland Manager of Advocacy for the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. “We cannot continue destructive development practices and hope to clean up the Bay and its tributaries. We must protect the streams that remain in good condition.”

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