The three inches of rain that’s soaked Maryland in recent weeks – with more predicted — is polluting the Chesapeake Bay.
That’s an alert from the Department of Natural Resources, which says if excessive wet weather continues the result could be less underwater grasses, an increase in algae blooms and early onset of dead zones in the bay.
“In addition to the heavy rains, rapidly melting snow cover in western Maryland and Pennsylvania and saturated soils caused (water) to run off streets, parking lots, buildings, residential yards and farm fields, filling neighborhood stormwater facilities and downstream culverts, small creeks and wetlands,” says DNR scientist Tom Parham.
“This surge of water carrying excessive nutrients, sediments and other pollutants continued downstream to rivers, and then eventually down to the Chesapeake Bay.”
Generally, short-term storms have short-term impacts on the bay, says Parham. But if it continues there will be adverse impact on both plant and animal populations.
Parham noted that late winter and early spring is a critical period for many aquatic species, especially fish that are beginning to spawn.
Full storm impacts won’t be known through DNR’s bay monitoring programs before mid-summer.
MD Eastern Shore says
I drive over the Bohemia River every day. Runoff carrying sediment has been absolutely horrible. From the bridge you can see a plume of bright brown sediment coming out of Scotchman’s Creek. The whole river will probably be a couple of inches shallower this year after all the sediment settles out. What a mess.