The Upper Western Shore watershed drains approximately 685 square miles of land. This area includes all of Harford County and portions of Carroll, Baltimore, and Cecil Counties. Larger bodies of water in the watershed include the Bush River, Gunpowder River, and Middle River. Land use in the region is approximately half forest, one-quarter urban, and one-quarter agriculture. Major towns in the area include Bel Air, Carney, Middle River, Edgewood, and Perry Hill. Census population from 2000 for the basin was 487,000. There are seven major wastewater treatment plants in the area. (Based on MD DNR Tributary Strategy Report by Karrh et al., 2007 and updated 2000 land use classifications).
