Community Corner

Harwood Park Creek Yields Mixed Results, Say Environmentalists

An investigation on Oct. 3 came up with signs of life, but not necessarily lots of them.

Less than a month after floods sent the Patapsco River spilling  at the Baltimore/Howard County line, researchers are evaluating the impact of the storms on local waterways, and they need the public’s help. 

On Oct. 3, nonprofit group Friends of the Patapsco Valley and Heritage Greenway (FPVHG) hosted what it called “—in the Elkridge neighborhood of Harwood Park. 

Three FPVHG members joined a Howard Community College biology professor and her honors student to scoop up 20 samples from Bascom Creek, near the Glenmore Avenue bridge, to gauge stream health.

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The CSI team mainly found a few types of invertebrate: caddisfly and mayfly.

“The mayfly you don’t find in streams that are unhealthy,” said Betsy McMillion, FPVHG executive director, pointing to the little organisms moving around a sample tray at the edge of the creek.

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“So that’s good,” said volunteer Pat Hatton.

Professor Debbie Luquette, who at the beginning of the investigation said she was concerned that floods may have washed away the stream life, concluded that there were a few good finds but "most of what we found are caddisflies—we’d like to find something else.” That's because caddisflies can survive in streams that aren't healthy.

The takeaway: local streams aren't necessarily in the clear, said McMillion.

"Although we found a variety of macroinvertebrates...trash that flowed downstream from [the] Sept. 7 flash flooding and sediment deposits on the side of the stream show that it has [been] polluted," said McMillion. "This stream is now on our list of places to clean up."

It's not the only place on her list.

“The Tiber Hudson is a big concern for us,” said McMillion, referring to the watershed in historic Ellicott City. “We had an incident earlier this year where we had a bunch of gray stuff flowing down the Tiber Hudson. With the old infrastructure, sometimes people’s sewer lines leak into [it].”

McMillion, who used to work for Howard County’s Department of Public Works, explained that the infrastructure’s design makes sewage leaks cause for alarm.  

“Our engineers many years ago said, ‘Let’s put sewer systems in a flat place'—which is right next to streams and rivers,” said McMillion. “They run all along the Patapsco River in . We’re a little concerned about the water quality because all it takes is one little crack.”

In addition to , the recent rainfall has caused debris to flow downstream.

The FPVHG is hosting a community effort later this month to clean up after the flooding of the Tiber Hudson and Ellicott City’s Main Street. The event will be on Oct. 22 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Find more information on the FPVHG events page.


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