The St. Mary’s River Watershed Association (SMRWA) seeks "to protect, improve and promote the sustainability of the St. Mary’s River Watershed through collaborative efforts with the economic, academic, environmental, agricultural, historical, social, cultural, political, and recreational stakeholders in the community."
Upon the adoption of our strategic plan in June 2024, we added recreational stakeholders to our mission.
It is envisioned that the St. Mary’s River will be increasingly fishable and swimmable with vibrant aquatic habitats and a watershed that is accommodating to smart development and resilient to varied land uses. It is also envisioned that it will also be an increasingly utilized community recreational resource. Realization of this vision will be reflected in the following indicators:
- A sustainably growing harvest of healthy disease-resistant oysters;
- A growing acceptance of and investment in the public stewardship of the watershed;
- Productive research in support of enhancing the sustainability of the watershed; and
- Increased recreational use of the river.
By 2002, the St. Mary’s River Project (SMRP), led by St. Mary’s College of Maryland, had more than three years of water quality, land use, and biological data on the state of the St. Mary’s River. These data indicated that certain areas of the St. Mary’s River and its watershed were degraded. Yet, the SMRP framework lacked an avenue for community members to harness the data to promote sustainable land use planning, facilitate restoration efforts, or educate the community about the issues affecting the St. Mary’s River. Members of SMRP and the community gathered to fill this need, and the St. Mary’s River Watershed Association (SMRWA) was born.
In 2006, SMRWA received 501c3 status under the mission to "protect, improve, and promote the sustainability of the St. Mary's River Watershed through the collaborative efforts of economic, agricultural, environmental, social, cultural, and political stakeholders in the community." The St. Mary's River is used for numerous recreational and commercial activities, and we want to keep it swimmable and fishable for generations to come. To achieve this goal, our water must be clean, and the ecosystem must be healthy.
SMRWA is the only environmental group working solely on the St. Mary's River. Our highly localized approach allows our organization to establish close partnerships with over fifty institutions, including corporate businesses, academic institutions, and community groups, to establish "win-win" solutions that enhance our watershed while revitalizing our community's economic, social, and cultural health. Our current programming focuses on education, outreach, and restoration. These programs include restoring 9-acres of previously vibrant oyster habitat, the Marylanders Grow Oysters program, monitoring water quality in the river with the help of volunteers, planting trees in the St. Mary's River watershed, studying oyster reproduction and the impact of the St. Mary's River Oyster Sanctuary on public harvest, and mentoring youth through our Future Bay Leaders program.
At the second annual meeting of the St. Mary's River Watershed Association in 2007, Dr. Bob Paul explains one of SMRWA's first projects, a Watershed Restoration Action Strategy for the St. Mary's River.
The 73.78 square mile St. Mary's River Watershed encompasses almost a quarter of St. Mary's 296 square miles. Over 100 miles of streams give their freshwater directly to the tidal estuary.
Chesapeake Bay Program Office (CBPO), 2022. One-meter Resolution Land Cover Dataset for the Chesapeake Bay Watershed, 2017/18. Developed by the University of Vermont Spatial Analysis Lab, Chesapeake Conservancy, and U.S. Geological Survey. December 8, 2022.
The estuary extends downstream from the island for another eight miles before emptying into the Potomac River. The watershed extends from the Route 4 and Route 235 intersection south to St. George's Island and Kitt's Point at the mouth of Smith Creek.
Nearly half of the St. Mary's County population - 46,000 people - live within the St. Mary's River watershed. Development in the Lexington Park district and along Route 235 corridor to California, MD has been intensive in recent years, with resulting threats to its environmental health, particularly as a result of a rapid increase in paved or otherwise impervious surfaces making the river run faster and dirtier. Although the environmental quality of the St. Mary's River and its tributaries remains generally good, inappropriate management could lead to rapid deterioration with adverse economic as well as environmental consequences.
ABOUT OUR WORK GET INVOLVED EVENTS DONATE
St. Mary's River Watershed Association, Inc., Post Office Box 94, St. Mary's City, MD 20686 301.365.5757 emma@smrwa.org