Bay Gets Health Report Card

Thursday, December 30, 2010

The Chesapeake Bay is getting a little bit healthier, but is still scoring poorly in a new report.

 

The Chesapeake Bay Foundation released its State of the Bay report Tuesday, indicating the overall Bay health index improved by 3 points since 2008 thanks in part to efforts to increase the crab population and replenish underwater grasses which filter toxins out of the water and increase oxygen, and the preservation of forested buffers. In total, eight of the CBF’s 13 indicators improved. Areas that are still earning a ‘D’ or ‘F’ grade include pollution from nitrogen and phosphorus runoff; water clarity; dissolved oxygen; other toxics; preservation of underwater grasses and resource lands; and maintenance of shad and oyster populations.

Though the Bay has made some progress over the past two years, CBF President William Baker says, “Make no mistake, the Bay is still a system dangerously out of balance.

“The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency lists the Chesapeake and its tidal tributaries as impaired. Health Departments still caution people to stay out of the water for 48 hours after a heavy rain. Fish consumption warnings continue. Human health is at risk. And tens of thousands of jobs have been lost in fishing industries alone.”

The Bay report also highlights the EPA’s recently released “pollution diet” for the Bay, which limits nitrogen, phosphorous and sediment amounts for the troubled waterway. The plan comes as a result of a lawsuit filed by the CBF and other organizations which argued the EPA hasn’t done enough to enforce the Clean Water Act.

As part of the EPA’s plan, Bay states have been required to come up with plans to comply with the pollution limits – and if states don’t meet the standards, the EPA says it will invoke consequences. Wednesday, the EPA approved Virginia's plan.

Many localities in Virginia have argued the EPA restrictions will be too costly for already revenue-strapped cities and counties.

Baker says in order for the Bay to reach the “tipping point” for good health, “we will need a near revolution of public outrage and commitment” and that “we must overcome these forces which argue that the environment is expendable, that it must be sacrificed to building ‘the economy’.”

“Nothing could be more short-sighted than apathy, lax enforcement, or fear mongering,” according to Baker. “The time for action and stewardship is now.”

Pollution

Amounts of nitrogen and phosphorus in the Bay fluctuate during the year depending on rainfall and snow melt. The total annual 10-year loads to the Bay are 300 million pounds for nitrogen and 18 million pounds for phosphorous. The recently released Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) for these pollutants from the EPA “pollution diet” for the Bay calls for a cap of 187 million pounds for nitrogen and 12 million for phosphorous.

To reach those amounts, localities need to reduce and better manage stormwater runoff, protect and restore natural filters like forest buffers and wetlands, and control erosion, according to the CBF report, which gave an F for nitrogen pollution in the Bay and a D- for phosphorous.

Water clarity has improved over the last few years, according to the report. Water clarity measures the depth sunlight penetrates the water, and is important because sunlight is critical for the survival of underwater grasses and the storage of nitrogen and phosphorus in sediment.

Algae and suspended water particles are responsible for poor clarity. This year, the Bay received an F for water quality, but gained two points over 2008 measures in the CBF report.

Oxygen levels also got a failing grade due to the oxygen-depleted dead zones in the Bay from algal blooms. Fixing this problem will increase the Bay’s ability to support life, which the report calls “the main challenge of Bay restoration.”

Toxics were slightly reduced thanks to the Elizabeth River cleanup which removed tons of toxic sediment from the southern branch of the river, but pollution in this area still got a grade of D in the report due to two other toxic hotspots which still haven’t been cleaned.

Habitat

Forested buffers, which help keep pollution from finding its way to the Bay and help to stabilize stream banks, got a grade of B+ thanks to higher conservation funding through the federal Farm Bill and the CBF.

Wetlands, which also help keep pollutants out of the water and serve as wildlife habitats, received a grade of C+. Bay states achieved little more than half of the 25,000-acre restoration goal for 2010, according to the CBF.

Underwater grasses, though still earning a D-, earned a higher grade this year thanks to recovery in the northern part of the Bay.

Fisheries

Oyster and crab populations rebounded significantly thanks to conservation efforts, boosting the grades of both in the CBF’s report. The Blue Crab population rose from 120 million adults in 2008 to 315 million in 2010, and over a billion oysters were planted since 2008.

Rockfish (striped bass) populations are above-target coast-wide, but spawning success has been under target for three years, which means the population will likely decrease. Shad populations have had similar mixed success, with consistently low populations but some increases thanks to hatcheries restocking the fish in some areas.

Visit the CBF website to view the report.