Every water sample taken from the Chesapeake Bay Watershed and its tributaries had microplastics found, according to a new report from the non-profit Environment America.
Microplastic is plastic less than 5mm in length, or smaller than a grain of rice, according to their report, and they create an environmental and public health threat, with suffocation and starvation hazards to wildlife, and the possibility of hormonal effects and reproductive disorders in humans. The group tested for 90 samples for microplastics from 15 sites across the watershed states, from New York to Virginia. On Delmarva, they took samples from the Choptank and Nanticoke Rivers in Dorchester County, and the Chesapeake Bay itself in Talbot County.  The Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s Science Manager Gussie Maguire says Maryland must take action to reduce the amount of plastic used across the state. 

Drivers in Chestertown will soon need to hit the brakes at a busy downtown crossing. The Chestertown Mayor and Council have voted to install a four-way stop at the intersection of Queen Street and High Street. The decision follows complaints from residents about poor visibility, with neighbors saying drivers currently have to inch dangerously into traffic just to see oncoming cars.
Mayor Meghan Efland and most of the council backed the new signs as a low-cost way to improve safety and give police clearer enforcement options. Ward Two Councilman Tom Herz cast the lone no vote, citing mixed feedback from constituents.
Before the signs go up, town leaders plan to roll out a public awareness campaign. Mayor Efland says she hopes local drivers quickly build the habit of stopping—helping alert out-of-town visitors and festival-goers to the new traffic pattern.