Treasure the Severn

At the Severn River Association, it is our mission to create a healthy river for present and future generations by engaging the communities of the Severn River to protect this valuable resource. For over 100 years, we have worked to bring awareness to the health of the river. With the support of over 76 communities joining us as members, we now have the ability to not only advocate for our river but to take action in understanding the health of the Severn River.

The Severn River is a treasure that has become a recreational favorite for many. However, plagued by the effects of pollution from stormwater runoff, it has become crucial to monitor the health of the river. Thanks to our wonderful supporters and volunteers, we at SRA are able to do just that. With the help of our Water Quality Crew and Boat Captains, we are able to monitor a 44-station network from May to October.

This network stretches from the headwaters of the river to the creeks in Whitehall Bay. Each week, our crews create profiles of the water column in our rivers and creeks, tracking dissolved oxygen, pH, temperature, salinity, and clarity.

Our water quality monitoring program is supported by a grant from the Delaplaine Foundation.

As a Tier 2 data monitor with our partner, the Cheasapeake Monitoring Cooperative, our data can now be used in scientific research! All of our data can be viewed on the Chesapeake Data explorer, found at this link:

 https://cmc.vims.edu/#/home 

Though often unappreciated, submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) is a valuable resource to the Severn River and those who enjoy it. These underwater grasses can be found throughout the river, offering habitat for crabs and fish as well as oxygenating the water. Over the last couple years, we have seen a dramatic increase in the amount of SAV present in the river. This is great news!

At SRA, we have been tracking the presence of these grasses for 4 years with the help of our amazing volunteers. As we collect more data, we are able to see how the SAV is changing, recording many locations throughout the river where grass has never been found before! Working with the Chesapeake Bay SAV Watchers, SRA can proudly add to the bay-wide efforts being made to restore SAV habitats throughout our river and the Chesapeake Bay.

A staple of Maryland pride, oysters are nature’s powerhouse water treatment system. Unfortunately, the oyster reefs that once filled the river have been depleted, nearly to extinction. Losing the oysters has greatly impacted the water quality of the river as they are no longer able to effectively clean the water as they once did.

In an effort to repopulate the oyster populations throughout the Severn River as well as the Chesapeake Bay, Maryland created the Marylanders Grow Oysters (MGO) program. Enlisting citizens to help grow the oyster populations by hanging cages with oyster spat on shell from their docks, SRA in partnership with the MGO program will help repopulate our oyster reefs and help harness the incredible cleaning power of the oysters.

Thanks to the support of the Chaney Foundation, we are proud to introduce our newest program, the Floating Classroom. This program offers students and guests a scientific and educational adventure to explore the wonders of the Severn River.

Over the course of a 3-hour boat tour, our guests learn the importance of monitoring the water quality. They visit an oyster restoration reef and using professional equipment, collect and record data and discuss what life is like for the oysters below.

The Floating Classroom also visits areas with healthy beds of submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) where guests learn to identify SAV species and discuss the many benefits underwater grasses bring to the Severn River.

Through the hands-on training, people of all ages can learn how to help care for the incredible world just below the surface of the Severn River.

The Severn River is a unique ecosystem filled with crimson cliffs, varying shorelines, and animal habitats. However, storm and powerboat wave energy can cause horrible erosion. A living shoreline is the best way to protect against this. Living shoreline designs create open spaces along the shoreline that mimic Mother Nature's natural defenses against erosion.

In an effort to create healthy riparian ecosystems throughout the river, the Severn River Association (SRA) is working alongside the Chesapeake Bay Trust, Anne Arundel County Bureau of Watershed Protection and Restoration, Wetlands Studies and Solutions Inc. and Flood Bros. Marine Consultants, Inc.

This living shoreline incorporates use of marsh grasses to secure the new shoreline behind a mix of sand, vegetation, and grasses, the strategically placed rock breakwater that deflects wave energy.

Community volunteers joined in the operation by planting native Spartina alterniflora marsh grasses, which will permanent secure the new shoreline. The living shoreline is open to the river to create habitat for turtles, horseshoe crabs, and other aquatic life.

For more information on living shorelines as an alternative to bulkheads and revetments, visit  https://severnriver.org/programs/save-your-shoreline/ 

For more information email us at info@severnriver.org or visit our website at  https://severnriver.org/programs/ !

Water Quality Monitoring

SAV Navy

Marylanders Grow Oysters

Project Clean Stream

Floating Classroom

Direct Donation

Individual Membership

Community Membership

Memorial Fund