Chesapeake Bay By Steven Harlow

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Chesapeake BayBy Steven Harlow

• The Chesapeake Bay Problem is an issue of poor
  water quality through anoxia, toxic contaminant
  and sedimentation in the bay, and over fishing of
  diminished stocks. The anoxia in the bay is
  created from nutrient release from agriculture
  (livestock owners and field farmers) and sewage
  throughout the bay. This anoxia creates dead
  zones that kill much of the shellfish that are in
  the bay. The shellfish are an important
  harvested resource and are also food for larger
  fish which are also harvested for sport and
  commercial purposes. Toxic Chemicals, like
  atrazine (and other pesticides) and copper, are
  washed into the bay and can cause developmental
  problems (i.e. intersexual individuals) and lead
  to health issues in humans if toxic fish are
  consumed. Solutions in the bay can only come
  about with cooperation between farmers, fishers,
  environmental and developmental groups, and
  governmental agencies.

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Description of the Conservation Issue

• The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the
  United States and is currently being degraded
  through nutrient, chemical and sediment
  containments, overfishing, and development, among
  other issues.

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Background and History
The Bay has historically supported a big fish and
shellfish industry, but has been declining.
The Watershed is also home to many large cities
and 16.7 million people.
The Chesapeake Bay Watershed encompasses New
York, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Maryland,
Delaware, Washington, D.C, and Virginia. Its
conservation is dependent on cooperation between
those states.
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Background and History
A timeline History
1700s 1835 1890 1900
The colonial population grows rapidly as agriculture expands, resulting in the first signs of environmental degradation. 1/2 of Chesapeake region forests have been cleared for agriculture, timber, and fuel for homes and industry. Algae blooms result in following years after first imported fertilizers are used. Bay waters become more polluted as coal-burning industries spew smoke and dump wastes in Bay tributaries, and cities dump raw sewage into the Bay. 60-80 of the forests in the Baltimore-Washington corridor have been cleared. Scientists step up their efforts to study human impacts on aquatic life in the Bay, after declines in shellfish beds.
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Background and History
A timeline History
1914 1933 1945 1967
Baltimore is the last major American city to install sewer lines, but one of the first to adopt a waste treatment system. The system is installed to help save valuable oyster beds An interstate conference on the Bay is held. The concept of treating the Bay as a single resource unit is developed Widespread use of chemical fertilizers begins and the suburb is born. Fishing technology increases also cause fish stocks to decline The Chesapeake Bay Foundation is created.
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Background and History
Click in Normal View for 1983 PDF
A timeline History
1972 1983 1987 2000
The federal Clean Water Act is passed, establishing water quality standards and limiting the amount and type of pollutants entering the Bay waterways. The Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay is formed to ensure public participation in policy decisions affecting the Bay. The Chesapeake Bay Program, a unique voluntary partnership, is established with the signing of the first Chesapeake Bay Agreement by Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, the District of Columbia, the Chesapeake Bay Commission and the EPA. The agreement establishes the Chesapeake Executive Council as the chief policy-making authority in the Bay region. Also, a congressionally mandated EPA report on the Bay is completed. It highlights four areas that require immediate attention the overabundance of nitrogen and phosphorus in the water dwindling underwater bay grasses toxic pollution and the over-harvesting of living resources. The 1987 Chesapeake Bay Agreement is signed by Bay Program partners. The 1987 Agreement sets a goal to reduce nitrogen and phosphorus entering the Bay by 40 percent by the year 2000. It also directs the Bay Program to study atmospheric inputs to the Bay. Chesapeake 2000 sets a goal to reduce nutrient and sediment pollution enough to remove the Bay and its tidal rivers from the EPA's impaired water body listing by 2010. The agreement details over 100 commitments and actions necessary restore the health of the Bay and its living resources.
Click in Normal View for 1987 PDF
Click in Normal View for 2000 PDF
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Background and History
A timeline History
2008
The Chesapeake Executive Council just meet on
November 20th, 2008 and outlined a new strategy
to speed up the pace of Bay restoration and
become more accountable by setting two-year
milestones to reduce pollution to the Bay and its
rivers.
Click on Picture in Slideshow View for a Video of
DC Mayors Introduction to the meeting
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Science and Research
Nutrient pollution is the leading cause for the
environmental declines in the bay, causing algal
blooms which kill underwater sea grasses and
cause low oxygen levels.
Of nutrient pollution, agriculture is the leading
cause of nutrients reaching the Bay.
Toxic chemicals entering the bay and present in
food can also cause health problems if ingested
by humans, and cause growth defects in animals.
Sewage also contributes a significant amount of
nutrients to the Bay.
To add to the issue, development, invasive
species, and overfishing of depleted stocks also
negatively affect of the Chesapeake Bay.
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Science and Research
The added nutrients to the bay cause algal blooms
which deplete the dissolved oxygen levels and
cause anoxic regions, or dead zones. These can
kill shellfish and cause sea grass to die, which
is habitat for fish and provide food for
waterfowl and shelter for blue crabs and juvenile
fish.
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Science and Research
There are many innovative ways that farmers can
lessen their impact on the Bay. These are
grouped under the term Best Management Practices
(BMPs).
BMP education to farmers is a major tool that
managers and policy makers are utilizing to
combat the degradation of the Bay.
Click in Normal View for PDF
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Science and Research
Of the 89 Segments displayed on the following
map, 67.4 contain some level of impairment due
to toxics. These toxics include PCBs,
Organophosphates, and metals such as mercury and
copper.
Click on Image in Normal View to view larger PDF
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Conflicts and Debate

• Farmers

Getting Farmers to practice BMPs is a challenge.
This can be due to multiple reasons, but is
partly because of misconceptions on their farms
effect on the Bay. Other reasons include
perceived or actual costs and knowledge or ease
of use.
When asked what the main cause for the pollution
in the Bay these were the results. Below we once
again see the actual sources of nutrients, the
number one environmental issue, to the bay.
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Conflicts and Debate

• Developers

Utilities
Fishers
Each of these groups will have to sacrifice in
some areas in order for the restoration of the
Chesapeake Bay to become a reality.
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Relevant Legislation
In addition to the legislation already mentioned,
there has been a number of meaningful measures
passed, including
Closures for several fisheries such as striped
bass and blue crab and including the Atlantic
States Marine Fisheries Commission closure of the
entire East Coast to Atlantic sturgeon fishing
for the next 40 years, the longest fishing
moratorium on record.
The Builders for the Bay program, encouraging
Bay-friendly development practices.
Successful agriculture nutrient management
certification and education programs in place by
several states.
The Forest Conservation Initiative, committing
the Bay states to permanently conserve an
additional 695,000 acres of forested land
throughout the watershed by 2020.
The Anacostia Watershed Restoration Agreement,
which includes goals to restore the waterway and
176 square miles of surrounding land. Signed by
representatives of Maryland and DC.
A Maryland bill that requires farmers to
implement management plans to reduce both
nitrogen and phosphorus.
The breaching of dams along the James River and a
fish ladder added to Bosher's Dam that opens the
river from Richmond to Lynchburg, Virginia.
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Legislative Effectiveness
Since efforts began in 1985, much progress has
been made, although they may not be reached by
the target date of 2010 unless much more work is
done.
Progress toward the goals outlined in the
Chesapeake 2000 plan as compared to 1985.
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THE END
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Science and Research
Population growth will continue to strain the
Chesapeake ecosystem.
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Science and Research
Current harvests are approximately 3 of harvest
highs in the 1950s.
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Science and Research
Agriculture is the leading cause of both Nitrogen
and Phosphorus into the Bay.
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Science and Research
There are 304 sewage treatment plants that
service 12 million people. Of those, 2/3 dont
remove nitrogen and only 10 are removing nitrogen
to state-of-the-art levels
These STPs release 1.5 billion gallons of
wastewater each day and 52 million pounds of
nitrogen pollution into the bay.