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Browse History: Potomac River (2008) | Rappahannock River (2008) | Upper Bay (2008) | Upper Western Shore (2008)

Chesapeake Bay - Reporting Region Summary:



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Scores & Conceptual Diagram


Bay Health Index
Benthic Index of Biotic Integrity Icon
64%
B-		Upper Western Shore: 2008

Moderate-good ecosystem health--highest ranked region. Large improvement in benthic community condition and aquatic grasses in the past two years.
  • Water quality: In 2008, and the past 6 years, the dissolved oxygen score has remained 100%. Dissolved oxygen scores over the past 20 years have ranged between 88 to 100% (good to very good.). In contrast, water clarity tends to be poor to very poor. In 2008, the water clarity score was only 5%, the lowest score since the wet conditions in 2003.
  • Biotic indicators: In 2008, the aquatic grass and benthic community scores improved for the second year in a row, leading to the second highest Biotic Index score on record. Biotic indicators (aquatic grasses and benthic community) scores tend to vary between years.  No phytoplankton community monitoring is conducted in this region.

Score Legend 		Locator Map
  Index/Indicator Score     Index/Indicator Score
Benthic Index of Biotic Integrity Icon Chlorophyll a
25%
   Benthic Index of Biotic Integrity Icon Aquatic grasses
79%
Benthic Index of Biotic Integrity Icon Dissolved oxygen
100%
   Benthic Index of Biotic Integrity Icon Benthic Index of Biotic Integrity
90%
Benthic Index of Biotic Integrity Icon Water clarity
5%
   Benthic Index of Biotic Integrity Icon Phytoplankton Index of Biotic Integrity
nd
 
Benthic Index of Biotic Integrity Icon Water Quality Index
43%
   Biotic Index Icon Biotic Index
85%
 
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Dynamic Conceptual Diagram

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Region Info

The Upper Western Shore watershed drains approximately 685 square miles of land. This area includes all of Harford County and portions of Carroll, Baltimore, and Cecil Counties. Larger bodies of water in the watershed include the Bush River, Gunpowder River, and Middle River. Land use in the region is approximately half forest, one-quarter urban, and one-quarter agriculture. Major towns in the area include Bel Air, Carney, Middle River, Edgewood, and Perry Hill. Census population from 2000 for the basin was 487,000. There are seven major wastewater treatment plants in the area. (Based on MD DNR Tributary Strategy Report by Karrh et al., 2007 and updated 2000 land use classifications).

upper_western_shoreconceptual diagram.png

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