A Cleaner Future for the Chesapeake Bay?

Three of the four largest U.S. cities are on or near a prominent body of water, including New York City, Chicago and Los Angeles.  While not far from the Atlantic Ocean, our Nation’s Capital of Washington, D.C. is closer to a smaller body of water that plays a crucial role in the ecology of the Mid-Atlantic Region.  The Chesapeake Bay is heavily relied upon for both fishing and recreation.  That makes preserving the Bay a critical issue for our region.

The Chesapeake Bay is nearly 200 miles long and has 4,600 miles of shoreline.  It acts as a buffer every time a large storm comes up the East Coast by protecting the shore from coastal erosion.  Much like the Louisiana bayous, the Chesapeake Bay plays a vital role in the region’s ecology.  When major weather systems like Hurricane Isabel in 2003 and former Hurricane Sandy in 2012 came through the Mid-Atlantic Region, the Chesapeake Bay helped absorb a lot of the storm surge.

However, as the Mid-Atlantic Region and Northeast U.S. has become more developed, the Chesapeake Bay has been significantly damaged by the associated pollution.  Some of the major industrial pollutants include nitrogen, as well as fertilizer and pesticide runoff from agriculture. The largest source of nitrogen in the Bay is from agricultural runoff.  After it rains, the many tributaries that flow into the Chesapeake see an influx of nitrogen runoff that eventually makes its way into the Bay.  One of the EPA’s primary plans to reduce this pollution is to ensure that localities “…will have to install grassy ditches and restore natural streams in place of concrete channels. The idea is to slow down runoff and let it seep into dirt and roots.”  

Prolonged stretches of dry weather can be just as damaging to the Bay as heavy rain.  The Mid-Atlantic experienced three of the hottest summers on record from 2010 through 2012.  The combination of extreme heat and dry weather helped lead to “dead zones” on the Bay (or areas where no oxygen is present) to the detriment of wildlife.

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources reported in May 2014 that there were only 69 million spawning-age female blue crabs, which is below the minimum safe level of 70 million.  Scientists attribute the reduced number of spawning-age female blue crabs to the long, cold 2013-2014 winter season.  However, they also reported the good news that the overall number of the Chesapeake Bay’s signature blue crabs is at its highest level in at least six years.  

Conservation and environmental protection are critical to ensure the health of the Chesapeake Bay for future generations.  Residents of the Mid-Atlantic Region and Northeast can do their part by reducing their usage of fertilizers and pesticides by choosing greener, non-toxic products.