Sassafras Riverkeeper

06/23/2026

Please welcome Jenny Barbour, our University of Delaware Delaware Environmental Institute summer intern!

06/22/2026

🐬There were multiple dolphin sightings around Betterton this weekend, as well as off of Worton and Fairlee creeks! Make sure to report your sightings to Chesapeake DolphinWatch at: https://chesapeakedolphinwatch.org/

🐬Dolphin pod playing in the North Chesapeake Bay near Betterton, MD.
😍 Look at that face!!!
📷 Jason Haney for the winning view.
🙏 Thank you for sharing this.

06/18/2026

***Sassafras & Bayside Creeks Bacteria Update 6-18-2026*** Results from bacteria samples collected on 6/17 show that all sites on the Sassafras & Bayside Creeks PASSED this week! See full results below and visit theswimguide.org for more information.

✅ Fox Hole Landing: PASS (41 cfu)
✅ Budds Landing: PASS (20 cfu)
✅ Shorewood Estates: PASS (10 cfu)
✅ Well Bottom Cove: PASS (40 cfu)
✅ Georgetown Bridge: PASS (41 cfu)
✅ Indian Acres: PASS (

06/16/2026

Dolphin sighting on the Sassafras! A big thank you to Zac Smith at Skipjack Cove Marina for sharing this video with me of dolphins swimming upriver past Dyer Creek this morning. While we've had some dolphin sightings on the river over the past few years, they generally haven't made it this far upriver. Continuing dry conditions this year have contributed to excellent water clarity and a higher than usual abundance of underwater grasses throughout the river, which are critical nursery habitat for many aquatic species that dolphins feed on.

Have you seen any dolphins on the Sassafras or Bayside Creeks this year? Be sure to check out University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science Chesapeake DolphinWatch program for the latest sightings around the Bay, as well as lots of great information about why we might be seeing more dolphins over the past few years. You can report any sightings of your own there too!

ShoreRivers

06/12/2026

***Sassafras & Bayside Creeks Bacteria Update 6-12-2026*** Results from bacteria samples collected on 6/11 show that all sites on the Sassafras & Bayside Creeks passed this week except for Fox Hole Landing and Indian Acres. See full results below and visit theswimguide.org for more information.

⚠️ Fox Hole Landing: FAIL (226 cfu)
✅ Budds Landing: PASS (30 cfu)
✅ Shorewood Estates: PASS (74 cfu)
✅ Well Bottom Cove: PASS (20 cfu)
✅ Georgetown Bridge: PASS (20 cfu)
⚠️ Indian Acres: FAIL (598 cfu)
✅ Kentmore Park: PASS (31 cfu)
✅ Turner's Creek: PASS (51 cfu)
✅ Betterton Beach: PASS (20 cfu)
✅ Cheshaven: PASS (20 cfu)

✅ Still Pond Creek: PASS (10 cfu)
✅ Churn Creek: PASS (62 cfu)
✅ Worton Creek: PASS (62 cfu)
✅ Fairlee Creek: PASS (20 cfu)

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Please note that there are inherent risks associated with open water swimming and recreational contact including, but not limited to, bacterial infections. Bacteria levels can change, particularly as a result of significant rain events (>1"). Always rinse off after swimming in the river, never swim with open wounds, avoid water contact for 24-48 hours after a significant rain event. ShoreRivers utilizes the standardized EPA criteria of 104 cfu/100ml for collecting and analyzing bacteria samples. Anything higher than 104 cfu is a failing sample, and anything below 104 cfu is a passing sample. Please note that not all test sites are designated swimming areas.

ShoreRivers

06/11/2026

***Bayside Creeks Report*** Yesterday we planted approximately 3,147,000 horned pondweed (Zannichellia palustris) seeds on the Bayside Creeks, with 2-4 acre planting sites on each of the four creeks (Still Pond, Churn, Worton, and Fairlee). This is the largest submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) restoration effort we have done on the Bayside Creeks to date. Horned pondweed is one of the first species of SAV to emerge each spring, and one of the five species that ShoreRivers works with each year. These seeds were harvested last June, processed at our turbulator, overwintered in our Chestertown office, and will now hopefully improve water quality and habitat resources on the Bayside Creeks. We'll continue to monitor these planting locations for growth, bed health, and water quality. Horned pondweed and other species of SAV are critically important to the health of our rivers and the Chesapeake. They provide food for waterfowl and other species, nursery habitat for juvenile fish and crabs, cool and oxygenate the water, reduce erosion and attenuate wave action, and absorb excess nutrients. If you're interested in getting involved in monitoring, harvesting, processing, or planting SAV, let us know! Are you seeing underwater grasses where you live, work, play, or paddle on the Sassafras or Bayside Creeks?

Besides planting SAV, we also conducted our regular tidal water quality monitoring on the Bayside Creeks. Water temperatures ranged from 73.4-75.4°F. Salinity ranged from 3.60 ppt on Still Pond Creek to 6.45 ppt on Worton Creek. Dissolved oxygen levels were pretty typical for this time of year, ranging from 6.90-9.12 mg/L at most sites. Worton Creek had very low oxygen levels of 2.11 mg/L at the bottom. Concentrations below 5 mg/L can have detrimental effects on habitat and aquatic species, particularly non-mobile species. Water clarity was about 30" on Still Pond Creek, 59" on Churn and Worton creeks, and 39" on Fairlee Creek.

Our bacteria samples are currently in the incubator, and we'll be reading those samples and posting results tomorrow; stay tuned!

06/05/2026

***Sassafras & Bayside Creeks Bacteria Update 6-5-2026*** Results from bacteria samples collected on 6/4 show that all sites on the Sassafras & Bayside Creeks PASSED this week! See full results below and visit theswimguide.org for more information.

✅ Fox Hole Landing: PASS (82 cfu)
✅ Budds Landing: PASS (41 cfu)
✅ Shorewood Estates: PASS (

06/03/2026

***Sassafras River Report*** A moment of zen. It was a beautiful bluebird day on the river today. If you look to the left of Turkey Point from the mouth of the Sassafras here, you can see the foothills of Pennsylvania, where my fellow ShoreRivers Riverkeepers and I just spent the past three days outside of York with the other Waterkeepers from around the Chesapeake at our annual Waterkeepers Chesapeake retreat. It's always incredibly inspiring to learn what these amazing water warriors are doing in their respective watersheds, and how we can share resources for cleaner water throughout the Chesapeake. If you live, travel, or recreate beyond the ShoreRivers territory, be sure to connect with your local Waterkeeper or watershed group there too!

Home here on the Sassafras, water temperatures ranged from 68.5-76° F, with the warmest water being upriver by Wilson Point and the coldest water being at the bottom between Betterton and Lloyd's Creek. Salinity started at 0.59 ppt upriver, decreased to 0.50 ppt by Lloyd's Creek, and then jumped up to 1.75 ppt off of Betterton where the coldest water was. Dissolved oxygen levels ranged from 4.60-7.31 mg/L through the upper half of the river and then improved to 7.35-9.86 mg/L downriver, again correlating with the cooler water. Chlorophyll-a levels were notably low for this time of year, which is a good thing. Water clarity was excellent, with Betterton and Fredericktown/Georgetown both reaching 40" of clarity; a new record for our site at the mouth of Dyer Creek!

Chester Riverkeeper Miles Wye Riverkeeper Choptank Riverkeeper

05/29/2026

***Sassafras & Bayside Creeks Bacteria Update 5-29-2026*** Results from bacteria samples collected on 5/28 show that all sites on the Sassafras & Bayside Creeks passed this week except for Churn Creek. See full results below and visit theswimguide.org for more information.

✅ Fox Hole Landing: PASS (73 cfu)
✅ Budds Landing: PASS (82 cfu)
✅ Shorewood Estates: PASS (10 cfu)
✅ Well Bottom Cove: PASS (

05/22/2026

***Sassafras & Bayside Creeks Bacteria Update 5-22-2026*** Our bacteria monitoring program has officially kicked off for the 2026 season! Every Thursday morning between now and Labor Day, our SwimTester volunteers collect samples at popular water access points around our watersheds, we process the samples in our lab, and then post results on Fridays so that the community can be informed about bacteria levels before heading out on the river for the weekend. Thank you to all of our SwimTester volunteers and site sponsors who make this program possible!

Results from bacteria samples collected on 5/21 show that three sites on the Sassafras & Bayside Creeks failed this week. See full results below and visit theswimguide.org for more information.

⚠️ Fox Hole Landing: FAIL (957 cfu)
⚠️ Budds Landing: FAIL (303 cfu)
⚠️ Shorewood Estates: FAIL (311 cfu)
✅ Well Bottom Cove: PASS (20 cfu)
✅ Georgetown Bridge: PASS (