Beach Monitoring Continues in Maryland

The Maryland Department of the Environment is urging the public to use its online water quality tool before jumping into your favorite natural waters.

The Environmental Health Division of the St. Mary’s County Health Department tests the water quality of public beaches in St. Mary’s County from Memorial Day to Labor Day. Water quality advisories for beaches monitored by the health department can be found online at smchd.org/beach.

Results are typically updated weekly on Fridays, pending sampling schedule and processing.

The below locations are monitored by SMCHD during beach monitoring season.

• Breton Bay Civic Association Main Beach – Leonardtown
• Camp MD – Piney Point
• Cedar Cove Community Beach – Lexington Park
• Elms Beach Park – Dameron
• Golden Beach & Patuxent Knolls Subdivisions – Boat Ramp (Long Point) – Charlotte Hall
• Golden Beach & Patuxent Knolls Subdivisions – Community Beach – Charlotte Hall
• Greenwell State Park – Pavilion Beach – Hollywood
• Greenwell State Park – River Trail Beach – Hollywood
• Myrtle Point Park – Picnic Area Beach
• Myrtle Point Park – Wet Sox Trail Beach
• Point Lookout State Park – Hammond rest Area Beach – Scotland
• Sanner’s Lake – (Fresh Water) – Lexington Park
• Snow Hill Farm Park – Mechanicsville
• St. Clement’s Shores Subdivision Community Beach – Compton
• St. Mary’s College of Maryland – St. Mary’s City
• Wicomico Shores Waterfront Park – Budd’s Creek

To check the water quality at your favorite beach using our interactive mapping tool, go to mde.maryland.gov/beaches.

Beaches were open for swimming with no cautionary health advisories more than 98% of the time last summer, according to MDE’s latest progress report. This marked the 19th consecutive year that the rate was 96% or greater. The beaches at Ocean City have never been under a closure or an advisory since the current monitoring program began in 2000.

The beach monitoring program, which supports tourism and the recreation industry, is available each year from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day. The website includes a map with color-coded status reports on beaches throughout the state, from the lakes of Western Maryland to the Atlantic surf at Ocean City.

Here are some helpful tips when swimming in natural waters:

• Avoid swimming within 48 hours of a heavy rain event.
• Try not to swallow the water.
• Pick up waste left by your pets and dispose of it in the trash.
• When boating, use an approved marina pump-out station for waste disposal.
• Do not feed seagulls or other wildlife.
• Avoid swimming if you feel ill or have open cuts or sores.
• If water contact can’t be avoided, cover your open cut or sore with waterproof bandages.