Monitoring

Gunpowder River Water Quality Update July 12, 2022

Gunpowder Riverkeeper is proud to provide up-to-date water quality information to residents of Baltimore and Harford counties along the Gunpowder and Bush River Watersheds.  For a map based on Bacteria Monitoring Results and more information on this monitoring work, please visit: https://gunpowderriverkeeper.org/swim-guide  In partnership with Community Environmental Laboratories, an EPA-certified water testing laboratory located …

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Gunpowder River Water Quality Update July 5, 2022

Gunpowder Riverkeeper is proud to provide up-to-date water quality information to residents of Baltimore and Harford counties along the Gunpowder and Bush River Watersheds.  For a map based on Bacteria Monitoring Results and more information on this monitoring work, please visit: https://gunpowderriverkeeper.org/swim-guide  In partnership with Community Environmental Laboratories, an EPA-certified water testing laboratory located …

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Gunpowder Riverkeeper’s PFAS Sampling Efforts

Gunpowder Riverkeeper, in partnership with Waterkeeper Alliance, is protecting local communities by providing vital data through PFAS sampling. Gunpowder Riverkeeper staff and volunteers will be using Cyclopure Water Test Kits to sample for PFAS in stream segments throughout the Gunpowder and Bush watersheds. This is a National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS)-funded, convenient, and …

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Why Do We Care About PFAS?

Studies have shown a linkage between PFAS exposure and change in liver enzymes, cardiovascular effects (such as high blood pressure or pregnancy-induced hypertension), decreased antibody responses to vaccines, and developmental effects (such as small decreases in birth weight). The EPA has also established PFAS as a possible carcinogen, as there is a link between PFAS …

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What Are PFAS?

PFAS (Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl substances) are a large group of human-made (synthetic) compounds. They’re an emerging contaminant with minimal state and federal regulation. They are also bioaccumulates, meaning the chemical accumulates gradually over time in organisms, particularly fish. In October 2021, the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) issued its first fish consumption advisory based …

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