Our Bay: This Week's Take: Bacteria: How it affects our rivers

In the wake of nearly 2 inches of rain recently, waterways across the county were inundated with muddy runoff.

Along with sediment and nutrient pollution, this runoff also carried another sort of pollutant.

During weekly water-quality monitoring of local rivers, we recorded startling spikes of bacteria levels in a majority of the sites sampled. Organizations like the South River Federation, West/Rhode Riverkeeper, Severn River Association and the Magothy River Association all monitor bacteria levels within their river systems at community swimming and recreational areas.

This weekly sampling, which we call Operation...