CREEKWATCHING ON THE SHORE
WICOMICO RIVER, TALBOT COUNTY, & NANTICOKE RIVER
They're here! Download the most current water quality information:
2009 Wicomico Creekwaters Results (PDF)
2009 Talbot County Creekwatchers Report (PDF)
(Contact us at hotcinfo@cbf.org for a high resolution version on disk or in print.)
 The Wicomico River has played an important role in the history of Lower Delmarva. It has been critical to the region’s economy, serving as an easy trade route between communities. The city of Salisbury, located near the river’s headwaters, is a leading port in Maryland. The river also continues to provide an opportunity to enjoy the outdoors through boating, fishing, and in some areas, swimming. It brings a unique natural beauty to the region.
Yet citizens that know the Wicomico River know that this river is in trouble. Frequent, official health notices often limit how people can use the river. And they frustrate many of us who see the river as a valuable community resource.
Wicomico Creekwatchers is a local group of volunteers that keeps a watchful eye on the river’s health. It is modeled on Talbot County Creekwatchers, a program that receives statewide recognition for strongly urging local politicians and decision-makers to resolve pollution problems in local rivers. The success of these two programs have led to the creation of a new Nanticoke Creekwatchers program in 2007.
What Creekwatchers Do
 Creekwatchers regularly collect samples of river water at established locations, analyze the samples for information, and produce a report on the river’s health overall each year. Their work tells us where the trouble spots are, which areas are out of balance, and helps citizens and local officials decide how to bring the river back to health. Creekwatchers' Annual Water Quality Reports continue to guide decisions on how our communities grow and develop as well as overall clean up efforts.
In fact, due to Wicomico Creekwatchers’ work over the last three years, the City of Salisbury has shown a greater awareness of the river’s issues and has committed to improving the river in two ways. First, to control the waste going into the river, they are supporting an upgrade to the city’s sewage treatment plant. Second, they are working with CBF to create a “living shoreline”—a shoreline alive with grasses and trees—in the City Park. In 2007 and 2008, the Salisbury City Council recognized the importance of the Wicomico Creekwatchers program by unanimously agreeing to provide partial financial support for it.
Please contact us at hotcinfo@cbf.org for more information about Wicomico Creekwatchers. To view past Creekwatcher reports, please visit our resources page. This program is supported by Salisbury University and the Chesapeake Bay Foundation.
(Note: the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency includes the Wicomico on its list of impaired waterways, and the State of Maryland classifies the river as a Priority Category 1 watershed because it does not meet established water quality standards and natural resource goals.)
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