The Bohemia River is mainly located in Cecil County, Maryland, with some small tributaries of the headwaters located in New Castle County, Delaware. It originates west of the Middletown Area and US Rt. 301, and finally drains to the Chesapeake Bay through the Big Elk River roughly four miles due south of Town Point.
The Bohemia River (02130602) was first identified on the 1996 303(d) list submitted to EPA by the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE). It was listed as being impaired by nutrients, due to signs of eutrophication expressed as high chlorophyll a levels, and suspended sediments. Eutrophication is the overenrichment of aquatic systems by excessive inputs of nutrients (nitrogen or phosphorus). The nutrients act as a fertilizer leading to excessive aquatic plant growth, which eventually die and decompose, leading to bacterial consumption of dissolved oxygen. For these reasons, the document available below establishes total maximum daily loads (TMDLs) for the nutrients nitrogen and phosphorus in the Bohemia River. The suspended sediment impairment will be addressed separately at a future date.
Contact Information
Please direct questions or comments concerning this project to Maryland's TMDL Program at (410) 537-3818.