Gunpowder Riverkeeper & ShoreRivers Tier 3

Tier 3 Milestone for Two Maryland Partners

Congratulations to Gunpowder Riverkeeper and ShoreRivers on earning Tier 3 designation earlier this summer, the highest level of data quality recognized by CMC and the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE). Both organizations completed laboratory proficiency testing and a field audit. Their data can now inform state decision making.

Gunpowder Riverkeeper: Audited on the Water and in the Lab
On July 21, Gunpowder Riverkeeper staff were joined by auditors from UMCES, USGS, and MDE. The day started on a windy tidal basin, where staff deployed a YSI meter at Dundee Creek and Battery Point. The crew then moved to Taylor Creek to collect a bacteria sample, and finished at the Sparks Bank Nature Center lab to process it. The designation closes out a process that began in October 2025. Read their story.

ShoreRivers: Filling a Gap on the Eastern Shore
Maryland requires bacteria monitoring and public reporting only at official public swimming beaches, and very few Eastern Shore sites carry that label. The Swimmable ShoreRivers program steps in. This summer, nearly 70 volunteer SwimTesters tested 55 sites each week across the Choptank, Miles, Wye, Chester, and Sassafras rivers, Eastern Bay, and the Bayside Creeks. With Tier 3 status, that volunteer data can support decisions such as designating impaired waterways. Read their story.

Tier 3 shows that volunteer monitoring can stand alongside agency data. Congratulations to the staff, volunteers, and site sponsors behind both programs, and thank you to UMCES, MDE, and USGS for supporting the audits.