ANNAPOLIS-Amidst statewide debate about how to fund restoration of the Chesapeake Bay, a report released Thursday shows that many local and national efforts to curb pollution have had a positive effect on the watershed.
The New Insights report was conducted by the Chesapeake Bay Program and looked at more than 40 case studies in the Chesapeake bay watershed examining whether practices aimed at reducing nutrients in the water worked.
According to the report, wastewater treatment plant improvements, reductions in nitrogen released in the atmosphere and reducing agricultural land runoffs were three of the most effective long-term practices for water quality improvement.
This was the first time the program had looked at that many sites and monitored data from before many pollution controls, or best management practices, were implemented, said Nicholas DiPasquale, Chesapeake Bay Program director.
Some of the data analyzed in the report was from as far back the mid-1980s, said Bill Dennison, an author of the report and vice president for science applications at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science.
While some of the information in the study was expected, DiPasquale said the research team did not expect as high a reduction of airborne nitrogen as the report showed.
Some of the reasons for the improvements were regulatory programs aimed at reducing air emissions from power plants, legislation like the Clean Air Act and an increase in fuel-efficient automobiles.
He said the air quality in other states can impact the Chesapeake bay watershed because west to east winds from states like Ohio and Michigan can affect the nitrogen content of Maryland’s air which then can impact the state’s waters through rain.
But the report also highlighted efforts by Marylanders using local solutions to clean up the watershed.
The town of Centreville, on the Eastern Shore, used several best management practices, such as stormwater wetland ponds, manure management and using cover crops to reduce winter soil erosion.
The study showed that because the town aggressively implemented many of these practices, there was a significant reduction of phosphorous and nitrogen in two tributaries of the Corsica River.
While the study showed several positive signs for water quality improvement around the state, population growth – which causes intensified land use – remains a major challenge, research team members said.
In addition, while many best management practices have short-term results, some, especially those involving groundwater, have a lag time and patience is required in order for the benefits to be realized, said Scott Phillips, Chesapeake bay coordinator for the United States Geological Survey.
Dennison said the study helps show Marylanders that efforts across the state and the country have led to some water quality improvements.
“We’ve got demonstrable evidence that shows that we can improve our air and water and land, and it’s going to work, so hang in there,” Dennison said.
Phillips said that he thinks that because the study shows a summary of what is working, it could potentially lead to better decision-making regarding bay restoration. It could also lead to the application of effective practices in other parts of the country, such as the Gulf of Mexico.
By Lyle Kendrick
Capital News Service
Ron Fithian says
It is easy for someone to make up a story and claim that the Chesapeake Bay is making improvements, but lets look at this! The upper 1/3 of the Chesapeake Bay that used to be: 1. Wall to wall with underwater grasses. 2. The producer of million’s of bushels of soft shell clams a year. 3. The producer of a million plus bushels of oysters a year. now produces NO claims, NO oysters and there is not enough underwater grasses in the upper 1/3 of the Bay to make a good salad. You can always use these three items to determine the health of the Bay because these items can’t swim south when the Conowingo opens it’s gates. They have to stay and take it and you can see what has happened. They are a great barometer for the health of the bay. The bay is deader then it has ever been!! This is what happens when you continue to ignore the real problem facing the bay!! You can rid the entire bay of the nitrogen and phosphorous and still end up with a dead bay if you ignore the sediment that is constantly being deposited on the bay floor smothering the clams and oysters and clouding the water so that the sunlight can’t penetrate the water and make the grass grow. Keep an eye on this years spring thaw. Tell me what you see when the snow melts at the head waters of the Susquehanna River this year and it all comes roaring down the Chesapeake Bay. Then tell me things are better!