My practicum site was the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE). I first discovered that MDE was hiring summer workers through a friend whose mother worked there. I filled out an MS-100 application from their website and mailed it in. I was eventually accepted and was assigned a summer position. Maryland has many environmental issues to manage, so MDE has a variety of work opportunities. I was initially assigned to work for Dinorah Dalmasey in the TMDL program under the Science Services Administration, and was later assigned to additional fieldwork with Todd Kamens.
Under the Clean Water Act, state agencies must establish Water Quality Standards (WQSs), monitor water bodies, and establish Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs) for water bodies that do not meet federal Water Quality Standards. TMDLs are simply the "maximum amount of an impairing substance or stressor that a waterbody can assimilate and still meet WQSs." My practicum project entailed monitoring Maryland's waters, as well as compiling research for TMDLs.
I began my practicum by researching eutrophication of non-tidal waters (such as rivers and streams), to assist the creation of TMDLs. Eutrophication is Latin for "well-fed," and typically entails an excess of nutrients (such as Nitrogen and Phosphorous) in water. This leads to abundances of cyanobacteria, which consume these nutrients, and deplete dissolved oxygen. This then contributes to "fish kills," in which large amounts of fish die, due to the lack of available oxygen. There is much knowledge about eutrophication in tidal waters, but very little is known about it in non-tidal waters. My task was to find more information on this topic.
There is only a marginal amount of research being conducted on non-tidal eutrophication, so I searched for published articles that had made discoveries on this topic. I then provided this information to my supervisor in an organized fashion. My research will hopefully assist the creation of more accurate Water Quality Standards and TMDLs, but I believe much more research on non-tidal eutrophication is needed. With more research, MDE can better "protect and restore" the quality of Maryland's water.
In addition to my research, I spent much time in the field, collecting data. This entailed daily travels around the state, to many aquatic locations, in the pursuit of providing water quality information. Upon arriving at such locations, we would calculate water velocity at varying stream depths, and would collect water samples. We then processed these samples through a filter machine that collected debris onto a filter pad, with the assistance of a vacuum. These filter pads, along with a separate sample of the water collected, would be sent to a lab to be assessed, and to determine certain aspects of water quality. We also conducted measurements on the levels of dissolved oxygen, turbidity, conductivity, temperature, and pH. Lastly, we noted the cloud cover, air temperature, and precipitation at each site, as these can have certain influences on the data. My fieldwork will be incorporated into TMDLs. It has provided the data that gives the clearest assessment of the quality of Maryland's water at present.
With clear assessments of Maryland's water, MDE can formulate accurate Water Quality Standards that keep Maryland's water clean and safe for its citizens (as well as citizen's from our neighbor states). In fact, parts of Maryland's water quality problems come from northerly pollution, coming from Pennsylvania and Delaware, and it can be difficult to maintain high standards with interstate influences. My simple involvement in governmental affairs has given me a better understanding for some of the intricacies of the federal-state and state-to-state relationships of American government.
Working at MDE has also given me a much greater appreciation for our state, as a natural beauty that warrants more than just protection. Having traveled all over our state this past summer, I was put in touch with many natural locations throughout our state, and I just feel more connected with it. Maryland really does have everything. Well, not everything, but there are indeed mountains, beaches, forests, lakes, streams, rivers, farmland, cities, suburbs... Our state is in a fragile location, at the center of the continuous metropolis from Miami to Boston, as one of my coworkers described it. Although that is somewhat of an exaggeration, it bears much truth, especially as we delve deeper into the twenty-first century. As a nation, and as a single state, we must decide how we will take care of our environment, and how we will take care of ourselves.
I enjoyed my practicum project for the intrinsic fact that I was helping to protect my own state's environment, but I also realize my work's importance for Maryland's citizenry. For example, Water Quality Standards and TMDLs were created to promote human health. At some point, humanity hopefully realizes that by protecting our natural surroundings, we protect ourselves. This is a somewhat selfish and minimalistic approach to environmental protection, yet it is still important to realize.
I am pursuing an environmental career, so my experience at MDE was extremely fruitful, from simply building my resume, to advancing my appreciation for the natural world. I will be working with the Maryland Department of the Environment again this summer, and will undertake the enriching task of protecting our state's beautiful, yet damaged beaches.