[CGC] From the 1/21 Star-Democrat

[Dan Worth]

Corsica River Conservancy seeks O'Malley adminstration's support
By KONRAD SUROWIEC
Staff Writer
January 21, 2007

ANNAPOLIS - The Corsica River Conservancy wants the administration of Gov.
Martin O'Malley to continue the state's support of the Corsica River
restoration project, an initiative started in 2005 under Gov. Robert
Ehrlich.

Restoring the Corsica River watershed is a valuable project that can be
applied to improve the water quality in other watersheds of the Chesapeake
Bay, according to Lew Gayner, a member of the board of directors of the
Corsica River Conservancy. He met with the Eastern Shore delegation Friday
to urge legislators to continue to support state funding for the restoration
project.

"We view this as a test program, something you can put your hands around,"
said Gayner.

The Corsica River watershed lies entirely within Queen Anne's County. The
long-term goal of the pilot project is to remove the Corsica River from the
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's list of impaired waters. The project
is estimated to cost $20 million over five years.

The work involves planting of underwater grasses, shoreline restoration,
planting oyster spat, water testing, and projects to reduce sediment and
nutrient runoff, including planting trees and cover crops. The pilot project
follows a study called the watershed restoration action strategy - or WRAS.
The federal, state, and county governments are involved in the project as
well as local citizens.

Gayner said membership in the Corsica River Conservancy has grown from 25 to
more than 150 people.

According to the group's Web site (corsicariverconservancy.org), members
conduct weekly testing on the river between May and October, testing the
water for dissolved oxygen, conductivity, pH, temperature, salinity, and
bacteria (enterocucci). Bacteria samples are analyzed by the Maryland
Department of Health.

"Our focus is the river," Gayner said. He said the conservancy is willing to
support any activity that gets the Corsica off the EPA's impaired list.

The community in the watershed views the river as an opportunity for fishing
and recreation, "and many of them don't realize how impaired it is," said
Gayner.

Gayner said a number of agencies, including the EPA, the Maryland Department
of Natural Resources, and the Maryland Department of the Environment, are
involved in the restoration project.