Final Report on PFAS Contamination in the St. Mary’s River
This report on our PFAS Contamination in the St. Mary’s River study is an addendum to our scientific report that…
To enhance environmental sustainability, we focus on aquatic habitat restoration initiatives like continuing the building of oyster reefs and our SAV Watchers Program to monitor seagrass in the St. Mary's River.
Oyster reef development continues to be a leading program focus. This involves securing new areas for reef expansion, the building of reef balls, and placing the reef balls at the restoration sites.
Oyster growing projects include a shoreside nursery, where oyster larva is introduced to oyster shell to form spat-on-shell, in combination with the Marylanders Grow Oysters program that engages waterfront home-owners in fostering oysters as they grow to maturity for planting in reef areas.
Submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) refers to flowering, vascular plant species, also known as underwater grasses. SAV is an important part of a healthy ecosystem and is one of the best indicators of water quality and overall waterway health. In April 2026, we began a local SAV Watchers Program to monitor these critical grasses in the St. Mary's River. SAV Watchers are volunteer citizen scientists who collect data on where, how much, and what kind of SAV are present. These data are sent to the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR). DNR publishes the data so that Bay researchers, environmental professionals, or citizens can view and use it for things like restoration research.
St. Mary's River Watershed Association, Inc., Post Office Box 94, St. Mary's City, MD 20686 [email protected]