Little Falls Branch testing site LFB3
For the fourth consecutive summer, the fecal bacteria levels in the Little Falls watershed have exceeded the Maryland State Standards for recreational water use - even for infrequent human contact. According to the 14 week study conducted at seven sites, both the Little Falls Branch and the Willett Branch fail to meet the criteria for safe water play at all locations.
Willett Branch Bacteria Levels reached as high as 24,999 MPN, the highest number our tests can count. The tests were conducted at two sites on the Willett Branch, which runs through downtown Bethesda underground emerging into the daylight by the Bethesda Pool near the Little Falls Parkway. Montgomery County agreed with our assessment that the source is human and has been investigating where the sewage is coming from since last summer. They have not located the source yet; we will notify people when we hear something new.
While the Little Falls Branch sites never reached the level of fecal bacteria pollution seen in the Willett Branch, all five sites regularly saw numbers in excess of 1,200 MPN, three times the maximum number for safe water play. Little Falls Branch runs through the Town of Somerset and the Little Falls Stream Valley Park and into the Potomac River at Little Falls and is a popular stream for wading and other recreation.
Cristal Mejia (third from left) training citizen scientists at the June kick-off meeting. 12 people participated in the weekly monitoring program.
The Complete Report is HERE. More information about our Bacteria Monitoring Program is HERE.
thank you
Thank you to Cristal Mejia our bacteria Monitoring Program Coordinator for the great job she did this summer. Thank you to her and Woody Stanley for the end-of-season report. The 2024 water quality data was collected by volunteer citizen scientists every week this summer. The findings in the report would not have not been possible without their dedicated effort. In no particular order, the LFWA extends a thank you to: Averill Simone, Emily Simone, Bobby Pestronk, Emily Cordas, Emilie Fokkelman, Josh Nickerson, Mark Wang, Wilson Wang, Julie Steinberg, Isabella Beck, Michael Bonilla, and Audrey Steward