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The Severn Riverkeeper Program is dedicated to improving the Severn's water quality
The purpose of the Severn Riverkeeper
Program is to promote, preserve, and restore the environmental
health of the Severn River and its surrounding watershed through
advocacy and promoting enforcement of environmental laws.
Formally speaking, our objective is to improve the Severn’s
water quality by reducing the levels of nutrients, sediment,
sewage, and toxic chemicals entering the Severn to the point
where it can be removed from Maryland Department of the
Environment's
Impaired Waterways List (Section 303d of the Clean Water
Act). Meeting Maryland's water quality criteria would enhance
the Severn's recreational opportunities by providing for a safe
and pleasant place for swimming and boating, improved fishing
opportunities due to good habitat, and the assurance that local
fish and crabs are safe to eat. Because all of the above four
water quality indicators currently fail to meet EPA standards,
action is required on a number of fronts in order to meet our
objective.
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Stated in more personal terms, the Severn Riverkeeper Program is
deeply concerned about the present health of the Severn and even
more about its future. We would like to ensure that the
next generation is able to enjoy the Severn at least as much as
we have. Local, state, and federal governments all
have programs promoting clean water, but these have not been
able to prevent measurable deterioration of the Severn's water
quality. Many local residents lament the resulting decline
in recreational opportunities. The Severn Riverkeeper Program
seeks to mobilize citizens to pressure all levels of government
to improve the Severn's water quality, and to foster projects
within the watershed that will contribute to this end.