Reporting Region Summary:

Scores & Conceptual Diagram

	Bay Health Index	20% D-
Bottom-ranked grade: D- Slight decrease compared to 2006 score (23); health remained in poor condition. Worst chlorophyll a score recorded and aquatic grasses have declined in recent years.

	Index/Indicator	Score			Index/Indicator	Score
	Chlorophyll a	9%			Aquatic grasses	9%
	Dissolved oxygen	66%			Benthic Index of Biotic Integrity	28%
	Water clarity	5%			Phytoplankton Index of Biotic Integrity	3%
	Water Quality Index	27%			Biotic Index	13%

Excel Spreadsheet

Editable Vector Diagram (SVG)

Maps

This indicator map is already zoomed to the area of this region. You can pan and zoom and also change to another indicator map.

Trends Graph

This graph is dynamic, you can check and uncheck indicators ( checkboxes in legend), select year range ( click and drag), and export as an image (right click).

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Excel Spreadsheet

Region Info

The Patuxent River watershed drains approximately 900 square miles of land. This area includes portions of St. Mary's, Calvert, Charles, Anne Arundel, Prince George's, Howard, and Montgomery Counties. Three main streams drain into the upper Patuxent River: the Little Patuxent, which drains much of the newly urbanized area of Columbia; the Middle Patuxent, which drains agricultural lands in the northern part of its drainage and the outer suburban areas of Columbia in the southern part of its watershed; and the (upper) Patuxent River, which has remained primarily agricultural. Land use in the watershed is mainly forest, with significant urban and agriculture development. Two large metropolitan areas, Baltimore and Washington, D.C., border the Patuxent River, and the watershed has gone through significant suburban development in the past few decades. Columbia and Laurel have developed along the Interstate 95 corridor, which bisects the upper half of the watershed. The 2000 census population for the watershed was 18,000 people. (Based on MD DNR Tributary Strategy Report by Aadland et al., 2007 and updated 2000 land use classifications).

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Additional Info

Detailed Report Card

 2007 Patuxent River Report Card

Relevant Websites

Patuxent Riverkeeper
Maryland DNR - Tributary Strategies
Chesapeake Bay Program - Tributary Strategies
National Estaurine Eutrophication Assessment database