OCEAN PINES – Ocean Pines Association officials agreed to make the health of the St. Martin River the focus of a community advisory committee.
During a meeting last week, the association’s board of directors voted unanimously to amend the resolution governing the Environment and Natural Assets Advisory Committee to set the health of the water surrounding Ocean Pines as the committee’s top priority.
“The committee believes that the health of the St. Martin River should be a primary focus of the committee in the future,” board member Pat Supik said.
Supik, the liaison to the Environment and Natural Assets Advisory Committee, said the condition of local waterways had always been a focus of the committee but that in recent years, water condition had deteriorated. After recent meetings with the Maryland Coastal Bays Program, committee members learned that the St. Martin River was of primary concern. She said it currently had a D-plus rating.
“The water quality is continuing to decline,” Supik said.
She added that the low rating could have financial consequences and could impact quality of life for the community.
“The committee has seen that neither the county, state, or federal government have any real focus on the St. Martin’s River,” Supik said. “The river has no champion. It is in the best interest of Ocean Pines residents that the environment committee makes its primary focus the St. Martin’s River.”
Director Cheryl Jacobs said she didn’t know how the association could help the problem aside from sharing information about the river’s condition.
“I don’t know how Ocean Pines can impact this,” Jacobs said.
Director Slobodan Trendic said there were ways residents could help the situation, such as by using environmentally friendly lawn treatments, but that many might not know water quality in the St. Martin River was an issue. He said education would be a large part of improving the river’s condition.
“I think every little effort will help the bigger picture,” Trendic said.
Supik agreed. She said that along with better management of grass clippings and lawn care products, there were other ways residents could help.
“There are many, many other actions that we as homeowners can take to help improve the quality of the St. Martin’s,” she said.
She added that in May, the Maryland Coastal Bays Program would be hosting Save the St. Martin Day in Ocean Pines to increase awareness of the river’s condition.
“I think there’s much that we can do,” Supik said. “Most people are not aware they can do it. Most people are not aware of the quality of the river itself.”
