2013: The Chesapeake Bay - Washington Post NIEof water in the Chesapeake Bay and the many rivers...

Volume 12, Issue 5

[ABCDE][ABCDE]

© 2013 THe WAsHINGToN PosT ComPANYJanuary 11, 2013

■ Post Reprint: “What Would It Take to Clean Up

The Bay by 2010?”

■ Discussion Questions: A Clean Chesapeake Bay by 2010?

■ Informational Graphic: The Chesapeake Bay: You drive across

it on the way to the beach, but have you ever thought about this

amazing natural resource?

■ Questions to Guide Viewing:

The Chesapeake Bay:Problems and Solutions

■ Editorial

Cartoon:

Chesapeake

2013: The Chesapeake Bay

Volume 12, Issue 5

An Integrated Curriculum For The Washington Post Newspaper In education Program


In the early 1600s Captain John Smith wrote of the land and waters he explored. Hardwood forests gave way to terraced fields and marshlands as the landscape descended to the Potomac and

Anacostia rivers. In his Historie Smith describes what he observed: “The river above this place maketh his passage downe a low pleasant valley overshadowed in manie places with high rocky mountains from whence

distill innumerable sweet and pleasant springs.” The K’che-se-piak, meaning “land along the big river,” provided native inhabitants a rich habitat in which to farm, fish and hunt. Archaeologists testify to mounds of shells from oyster feasts. What would the Algonquian-speaking people who lived in the village of Nacotchtank on the Anacostia, or “anaquash” which means a village trading center, think of today’s Potomac and Anacostia rivers? Would they or others who lived in chiefdoms lament the waters they once paddled in canoes or the abundant fish they caught in their weirs? The Patowmack, “a great trading place,’’ inspires today’s leaders and

individuals to assess resources, trade ideas and find solutions to return the waters to their pristine abundance.

CouRTesY oF THe TRusTees oF THe loNDoN museum

Algonquian Indians Fishing by John White (created 1585-86)

Volume 12, Issue 5



“What Would It Take to Clean Up The Bay by 2010?”

BY DAVID A. FAHRENTHOLDWashington Post Staff Writer

• Originally Published Jan. 29, 2007

To deliver on the pledge to save the Chesapeake Bay in three short years, you could start by digging up a million lawns to fix septic tanks that pollute too much.

Then ask 80,000 farmers to make expensive changes in the way their farms work. Overhaul hundreds of sewage plants, each project with a price tag that could run into the millions.

And find about $28 billion — enough for six aircraft carriers — to pay for it all. Right now, authorities are at least $14 billion short.

This month, the Environmental Protection Agency said efforts to re-store the bay’s health need to be ac-celerated to meet a 2010 deadline. It turns out that “accelerated” might be understating it: Experts say meeting the goal would require widespread sacrifices from individuals and un-precedented funding from govern-ment sources. And even then, it might not be enough.

For now, no such shock-therapy campaign has been proposed. But environmentalists say the bay project’s many shortfalls are a lesson: After 19 years, the Chesapeake cleanup is struggling to produce results on par with its promises.

“We have done a truly tremendous

job of defining the problem, and we have done a truly tremendous job of defining the solution,” said J. Charles Fox, a former head of the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. “But we have not yet succeeded in actually implementing the solution.”

The bay cleanup, in its current form, began in 1987 with an agreement between state and federal governments. They promised that the bay, troubled by dirt, algae blooms and toxic chemicals, would be clean by 2000.

“We thought it was going to be Bethlehem Steel. We thought we were going to be able to point to

big polluters,” said Jack Greer, an official at the Sea Grant program at the University of Maryland.

Instead, they found that some of the bay’s worst pollutants came from such things as manure, lawn fertilizer and human waste. Its troubles began on every street, in every sewer, at the back end of every cow.

“I remember politicians just going pale,” Greer said.

When the 2000 deadline was missed, an even more sweeping agreement took its place. The leaders of Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania, the District and the EPA pledged to fix the bay’s

lINDA DAVIDsoN/THe WAsHINGToN PosT

In Queen Anne's County, Md., development along the Chesapeake Bay area continues on the Kent Island narrows, where the Chester River joins the bay. Studies of the Chesapeake have found that manure, lawn fertilizer and human waste are the worst pollutants. Cleanup is unlikely to meet a 2010 deadline without unprecedented funding.

Volume 12, Issue 5



water, its oyster population, its beds of underwater grass and other environmental indicators by 2010.

There have been significant successes since then. Maryland passed a “flush tax,” a surcharge on water bills to pay for cleaning up the state’s sewage plants and farm fields. The bay’s rockfish population has continued its remarkable comeback, which began in the 1980s. Small

strips of forest, designed to filter runoff, have been planted alongside 5,000 miles of streams.

But all of that hasn’t been nearly enough, officials say.

Thousands of farms still need to implement measures to prevent soil, manure and fertilizer from washing downstream — from putting up fences to setting aside areas to regrow as forest. In Virginia, the

total is near 1.5 million acres — an area larger than Delaware.

States have said they will need at least $2 billion for these agricultural measures, which often include sending employees out to custom design a plan for each farm and reimbursing farmers for changes. Farmers have said they can’t afford the changes themselves.

“If we can’t absorb those costs,

Volume 12, Issue 5



the only alternative is to get out,” said Earl Hance, president of the Maryland Farm Bureau.

Another shortfall: Older septic systems — including some installed as late as 2005 — need to be replaced, or at least updated, so they release less nitrogen into groundwater. In Maryland, the most recent documents say 11,000 of 360,000 systems have been fixed so far.

If homeowners pay, each fix costs hundreds or thousands of dollars. Maryland has money to help homeowners pay for septic upgrades — but not enough to do all of them before 2010. At current funding levels, it would take 580 years.

Also, to make the 2010 deadline, hundreds of sewage plants would need upgrades, so they release less pollution. The cost is estimated at $6 billion.

But money isn’t the only problem with reaching the 2010 goal. The upgrades are so complicated, officials say, that they will take years to plan and carry out.

“If I had all the money in the world today, I would guarantee you I could not get it done by 2010,” said John T. Dunn, chief engineer of the District’s Water and Sewer Authority, whose Blue Plains sewage plant needs such an overhaul. He said that 2014 might be more realistic.

And even if all this effort were expended, experts say some 2010 goals might be impossible. One goal promises that the Chesapeake’s oyster population will grow tenfold. But years of restoration efforts have produced no breakthroughs.

“If we’re not well on the way by now, it’s just not going to happen,” said Standish K. Allen Jr., a professor at the Virginia Institute of Marine

Science.Blame should be spread across

the watershed, environmentalists say, since all governments failed to act as boldly as the 2010 goals demanded and did little to contain sprawl. But the EPA’s Chesapeake Bay Program, which oversees the cleanup, has come in for special blame. Last year, the U.S. Government Accountability Office found that the bay program was not doing enough to coordinate environmental efforts or provide updates.

Critics say the program lost valuable time by calling for elaborate plans instead of plunging straight into pollution reductions. And at the end of all this planning, they say, the cleanup had the paralyzing price tag: $28 billion.

“What that number tended to do is make people say, ‘Well, it’s impossible. We can’t do it,’” said William C. Baker, president of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, an environmental group.

In response to questions about the management of the Chesapeake

cleanup, bay program Director Rebecca Hanmer released a two-paragraph statement. It said the EPA was committed to “continue accelerating our progress toward a cleaner, healthier Chesapeake.”

For now, the consensus among environmentalists is that the costs of meeting the 2010 goals are prohibitively high. Instead, they have begun pushing for agricultural and sewer-plant funds to aim at 80 percent of the desired pollution reductions.

Even these revised plans would require wrangling an estimated $3 billion more than state and federal governments have allocated.

Nineteen years into the bay cleanup — intended as a model for environmental movements all over the world — even the easy fixes are hard.

“It’s not like you can find a place elsewhere that did it better,” said Ann Pesiri Swanson, executive director of the Chesapeake Bay Commission, an advisory body to the cleanup. “That’s the tragedy.” ■

lINDA DAVIDsoN/THe WAsHINGToN PosT

The sun rises over the Claiborne community on the northern tip of Talbot County, Md., by Eastern Bay. Clean up of the Chesapeake Bay will require about $28 billion to complete.

Name ________________________________________________________________ Date_____________________________

A Clean Chesapeake Bay by 2010?

For decades local residents, fishermen, scientists and environmentalists have been concerned about the quality of water in the Chesapeake Bay and the many rivers that feed into it. Goals have been set and revised to clean it up and return its abundant aquatic life. In 2007 Washington Post reporter David Fahrenthold wrote about the state of The Bay and likelihood of reaching goals set to clean it up by 2010.

1. J. Charles Fox divides dealing with a problem into three stages: defining the problem, defining the solution and implementing the solution. In this front page news story, David Fahrenthold indicated which of the three stages have been completed?

2. From where do the worst pollutants come?

3. The 2000 clean up deadline was missed. What goals were set for the next decade?

4. What are three (3) successes mentioned in the article?

5. What can farmers do to help clean up the Chesapeake Bay?

6. What can homeowners and sewage plants do to help water quality on The Bay?

7. Why is the EPA’s Chesapeake Bay Program being blamed for much of the problem?

8. Read what the Blue Plains Advanced Wastewater Treatment Plant has done since 2007 to improve its facilities. [http://www.dcwater.com/ education/default.cfm] What are three ways DC Water is meeting goals set in the Chesapeake Bay Agreement?

9. The Chesapeake Bay Foundation issues an annual State of the Bay Report. [Scientists look at 13 indicators of health in three main categories — pollution, habitat and fisheries.] Review the most recent report. In what areas have improvements taken place?

10. Find another source to update attempts to clean the Bay. In addition to indicating the source, give examples of successful projects. Which projects proved to be disappointing? Compare and contrast this source with the most recent State of the Bay Report.

Volume 12, Issue 5



Tom Toles | November 23, 2012

1. Editorial cartoonists use very few words so the words they do use are important. What does the signage indicate?

2. Select two of the visual details on the west side of the cartoon. What do they illustrate? a. b.

3. To what does Tom Toles’ alter ego, in the lower right corner, refer?

4. Editorial cartoons are visual commentary. a. What issue does Toles address? b. What is Toles’ point of view on the issue?

5. Give the editorial cartoon a title.

Volume 12, Issue 5



The Chesapeake Bay: (Left side of graphic)

You drive across it on the way to the beach, but have you ever thought about this amazing natural resource?

The Chesapeake BayProblemsAGRICULTURE DEVELOPMENT WASTEWATER WASTEWATERAIR POLLUTION FISHERIES AGRICULTUREDEVELOPMENTAIR POLLUTIONFISHERIES

Solutions

Estuaries (where rivers meet oceans) are some of the most productive habitats. �e Chesapeake is North America’s largest estuary and the world’s third-largest. • Half a

billion pounds of seafood are harvested from the bay every year. • 150 rivers from six states and Washington, D.C., drain into the bay. • 17 million people live within the area

drained by the bay. • On average, the bay is about 21 feet deep, but a deep channel runs through the middle — the trace of a prehistoric Susquehanna River. • Native

Americans called the bay “Tschiswapeki,” or “great shellfish bay.” • �e bay is 200 miles long and, at its widest, 30 miles across. • It holds 15 trillion gallons of water.

Farming without conservation practices can pollute the bay with • sediments from fields plowed for row crops such as corn and from farm animals wading through streams,• nitrogen and phosphorus from animal waste and fertilizers not used by crops,• germs from farm animals,

• pesticides and herbicides used to kill bugs and weeds.

�e building of suburbs on what was once farms and forests removes the trees and other plants that help keep the air and water clean. Rainwater runs quickly o� roads, roofs and parking lots, eroding the land and carrying sediments and pollution into the bay. Wildlife habitats are broken up, and weedy, nonnative plants movein. Air pollution increasesas people drive more.

About a third of the nitrogen polluting the bay comes from chemicals in the air produced by power plants, factories, motors and animal farms. Pollutants dissolve in rain or snow or they fall directly into the bay. �ey also fall to the ground where they are washed into local waterways.

Although sewage treatment plants are e�ective at removing much of the nitrogen from wastewater, significant amountsof harmful nutrients still get into the bay, killing o� plants and animals. Our vitamins and

medicines can’t be removed by the

treatment plants and pass through the system into the bay.

People love to eat the crabs, fish and oysters from the bay. But taking too many of them from the bay — that’s called overharvest-ing — harms the balance of the bay’s ecosystem. At one time, there were so many oysters that they could clean, or filter, the whole bay in a week. Fish such as shad, which used to migrate far upstream, are now few in number due to pollution, overfishing and dams that block spawning streams.

Sewage treatment plants are gradually upgrading by adding extra steps to their nutrient-removal process.

✚ Compost your kitchen scraps, rather than sending them down the disposal.

✚ Don’t pour chemicals and medicines down the drain. Use natural cleansers.

✚ Reduce your wastewaterby taking shorter showers.Flush the toilet less o�en, following this rule:

If it’s yellow, let it mellow.If it’s brown, flush it down.

Clean, alternative energy sources, such as wind and solar power, are more available.

✚ Turn o� TVs, lights and computers.

✚ Travel by bike, walk or takepublic transportation.

✚ Encourage your parents to use energy-e�cient vehicles.

✚ Get your school to becomea “green school.”

Living close to work or school reduces air pollution (less driving). Runo� is reduced by using green roofs, pavement that lets water through and rain gardens.

✚ Get your family or school to builda “rain garden” that captures runo� from downspouts, keepingit out of storm drains and creeks.

✚ Plant more plants at home or school to absorb runo�.

✚ Take the car to a car wash.�ey are required to clean and recycle their water.

Well-managed farms are excellent filters, soaking up rainwater like a sponge and filtering out sediments and pollutants. Crops can be grown without plowing the soil. Farm animals rotated through a seriesof pastures allow grazed landsto recover quickly.

✚ Find out where your food comes from and how it is raised. Get your school to set up a vegetable garden.

✚ Buy produce at local farmers markets. Organically grown foods use no polluting pesticides.

✚ If you eat meat, make sure it is pasture-fed.

Dead zones are caused by excess nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus), which result in dense algae blooms, which block out sunlight and severely deplete oxygen dissolved in the water, making it deadly for bay life.

Striped bass, or rockfish, though abundant in number, have recently been observed to be underweight, some having open sores. �is may be because their favorite food, a small fish called menhaden, is being heavily fished in the lower bay.

Blue crabs seem abundant now, although scientists are still concerned about the numbers of females. Crabs need the safetyof the bay’s underwater grass beds as a hiding place when they

are so� or young and vulnerable.

Bay grasses reduce shoreline erosion, provide oxygen to the water, collect sediment and create protec-tive cover for young fish, crabs and shrimp.

Oyster reefs provide habitat for fish, crabs andsmall invertebrates. Each oyster can filter about 50 gallons of water a day, cleaning the bay.

A healthy bay would be filled with clean, clear water supporting a food web that begins with plankton (plant and animal microorganisms) that sustains small fish and invertebrates, which are eaten by larger fish preyed upon by birds and mammals. A balanced ecosystem and sustainable fishing industry could support people for generations to come.

մեe ailing bay is challenged by increasing population and development, excessive pollution and sediment, overfishing and the major loss of forests and wetlands that once filtered water flowing into its rivers and streams. A bay with exhausted resources cannot sustain the jobs of people who make their living from the Chesapeake's fish, crabs and other resources.

Excess sediments cloud the water, overwhelming oysters and making it di�cult for underwater vegetation to grow. Without bay grasses, the water has less oxygen and young fish and crabs have nowhere to hide from predators.

Mowing grass close to the ground reduces the ability of the ground to soak up and filter rainwater. Pesticides,

fertilizers and pet waste eventually run o� into the bay, creating a pollution problem. Gas mowers, weed whackers and leaf blowers release 10 times the pollution of a car running for the same amount of time.

When European colonists arrived in the 1600s, they settled by the bay, fished the waters and cut down foreststo clear land for farming. As cities grew and the human population increased, the bay became polluted and depleted.

�e bay was at its sickest in the 1980s. About 80 percent of its underwater grasses had disappeared and 98 percent of its oysters were gone. Since then, environmental laws and e�orts to restore the bay’s health are slowly improving its chances.

Non-nativePhragmites reeds Algae bloom Tidal wetlands

Wind and solar power

High-densityhousing Chicken

tractor

No-till crops

Farmers market Pasture-fed animals

Farm animals denied access to stream

Forested bu�ers

Sewage treatment plant with added nutrient-removal systems

Crabharvesting

Submerged bay grasses

Menhaden

Striped bass

Concentrated animal feeding operations

Tilling the soil

Growing suburbs

Sewage treatment plant

Menhadenfishing

Coal-fired power plant

✚ Skip the fertilizer and learn to enjoy a few weeds in the lawn. Some, such as clover, are good for the soil.

✚ Compost your leaves. ✚ Mow high with a push mower to allow grass to builda better root system that will absorb and filter water. ✚ Plant native plants. ✚ Pick up a�er your pet.

SO

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CE

S: C

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ay F

oun

dat

ion

, Ch

esap

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Pro

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RS

ON

CLA

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You drive across it on the way to the beach, but have you ever really thought about this amazing natural resource?

EXCESS NUTRIENTS

CONTAMINANTS

SEDIMENTS

Biologists are trying to help oysters return to the bay with hatcheries that introduce young oysters to the bay. Limits have been set on the harvest of menhaden, a fish that eats plankton (filtering the bay like oysters do) and is itself eaten by bigger fish. Blue crab numbers have improved dramatically dueto regulations on the harvestof female crabs.

✚ Stay out of bay-grass beds in shallow waters.

✚ Avoid using lawn fertilizers.

✚ Use proper catch-and-release fishing methods.

✚ HOW YOU CAN HELP

YOUR YARDYOUR YARD

Volume 12, Issue 5



The Chesapeake Bay: (Right side of graphic)

The Chesapeake BayProblemsAGRICULTURE DEVELOPMENT WASTEWATER WASTEWATERAIR POLLUTION FISHERIES AGRICULTUREDEVELOPMENTAIR POLLUTIONFISHERIES

Solutions

Estuaries (where rivers meet oceans) are some of the most productive habitats. �e Chesapeake is North America’s largest estuary and the world’s third-largest. • Half a

billion pounds of seafood are harvested from the bay every year. • 150 rivers from six states and Washington, D.C., drain into the bay. • 17 million people live within the area

drained by the bay. • On average, the bay is about 21 feet deep, but a deep channel runs through the middle — the trace of a prehistoric Susquehanna River. • Native

Americans called the bay “Tschiswapeki,” or “great shellfish bay.” • �e bay is 200 miles long and, at its widest, 30 miles across. • It holds 15 trillion gallons of water.

Farming without conservation practices can pollute the bay with • sediments from fields plowed for row crops such as corn and from farm animals wading through streams,• nitrogen and phosphorus from animal waste and fertilizers not used by crops,• germs from farm animals,

• pesticides and herbicides used to kill bugs and weeds.

�e building of suburbs on what was once farms and forests removes the trees and other plants that help keep the air and water clean. Rainwater runs quickly o� roads, roofs and parking lots, eroding the land and carrying sediments and pollution into the bay. Wildlife habitats are broken up, and weedy, nonnative plants movein. Air pollution increasesas people drive more.

About a third of the nitrogen polluting the bay comes from chemicals in the air produced by power plants, factories, motors and animal farms. Pollutants dissolve in rain or snow or they fall directly into the bay. �ey also fall to the ground where they are washed into local waterways.

Although sewage treatment plants are e�ective at removing much of the nitrogen from wastewater, significant amountsof harmful nutrients still get into the bay, killing o� plants and animals. Our vitamins and

medicines can’t be removed by the

treatment plants and pass through the system into the bay.

People love to eat the crabs, fish and oysters from the bay. But taking too many of them from the bay — that’s called overharvest-ing — harms the balance of the bay’s ecosystem. At one time, there were so many oysters that they could clean, or filter, the whole bay in a week. Fish such as shad, which used to migrate far upstream, are now few in number due to pollution, overfishing and dams that block spawning streams.

Sewage treatment plants are gradually upgrading by adding extra steps to their nutrient-removal process.

✚ Compost your kitchen scraps, rather than sending them down the disposal.

✚ Don’t pour chemicals and medicines down the drain. Use natural cleansers.

✚ Reduce your wastewaterby taking shorter showers.Flush the toilet less o�en, following this rule:

If it’s yellow, let it mellow.If it’s brown, flush it down.

Clean, alternative energy sources, such as wind and solar power, are more available.

✚ Turn o� TVs, lights and computers.

✚ Travel by bike, walk or takepublic transportation.

✚ Encourage your parents to use energy-e�cient vehicles.

✚ Get your school to becomea “green school.”

Living close to work or school reduces air pollution (less driving). Runo� is reduced by using green roofs, pavement that lets water through and rain gardens.

✚ Get your family or school to builda “rain garden” that captures runo� from downspouts, keepingit out of storm drains and creeks.

✚ Plant more plants at home or school to absorb runo�.

✚ Take the car to a car wash.�ey are required to clean and recycle their water.

Well-managed farms are excellent filters, soaking up rainwater like a sponge and filtering out sediments and pollutants. Crops can be grown without plowing the soil. Farm animals rotated through a seriesof pastures allow grazed landsto recover quickly.

✚ Find out where your food comes from and how it is raised. Get your school to set up a vegetable garden.

✚ Buy produce at local farmers markets. Organically grown foods use no polluting pesticides.

✚ If you eat meat, make sure it is pasture-fed.

Dead zones are caused by excess nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus), which result in dense algae blooms, which block out sunlight and severely deplete oxygen dissolved in the water, making it deadly for bay life.

Striped bass, or rockfish, though abundant in number, have recently been observed to be underweight, some having open sores. �is may be because their favorite food, a small fish called menhaden, is being heavily fished in the lower bay.

Blue crabs seem abundant now, although scientists are still concerned about the numbers of females. Crabs need the safetyof the bay’s underwater grass beds as a hiding place when they

are so� or young and vulnerable.

Bay grasses reduce shoreline erosion, provide oxygen to the water, collect sediment and create protec-tive cover for young fish, crabs and shrimp.

Oyster reefs provide habitat for fish, crabs andsmall invertebrates. Each oyster can filter about 50 gallons of water a day, cleaning the bay.

A healthy bay would be filled with clean, clear water supporting a food web that begins with plankton (plant and animal microorganisms) that sustains small fish and invertebrates, which are eaten by larger fish preyed upon by birds and mammals. A balanced ecosystem and sustainable fishing industry could support people for generations to come.

մեe ailing bay is challenged by increasing population and development, excessive pollution and sediment, overfishing and the major loss of forests and wetlands that once filtered water flowing into its rivers and streams. A bay with exhausted resources cannot sustain the jobs of people who make their living from the Chesapeake's fish, crabs and other resources.

Excess sediments cloud the water, overwhelming oysters and making it di�cult for underwater vegetation to grow. Without bay grasses, the water has less oxygen and young fish and crabs have nowhere to hide from predators.

Mowing grass close to the ground reduces the ability of the ground to soak up and filter rainwater. Pesticides,

fertilizers and pet waste eventually run o� into the bay, creating a pollution problem. Gas mowers, weed whackers and leaf blowers release 10 times the pollution of a car running for the same amount of time.

When European colonists arrived in the 1600s, they settled by the bay, fished the waters and cut down foreststo clear land for farming. As cities grew and the human population increased, the bay became polluted and depleted.

�e bay was at its sickest in the 1980s. About 80 percent of its underwater grasses had disappeared and 98 percent of its oysters were gone. Since then, environmental laws and e�orts to restore the bay’s health are slowly improving its chances.

Non-nativePhragmites reeds Algae bloom Tidal wetlands

Wind and solar power

High-densityhousing Chicken

tractor

No-till crops

Farmers market Pasture-fed animals

Farm animals denied access to stream

Forested bu�ers

Sewage treatment plant with added nutrient-removal systems

Crabharvesting

Submerged bay grasses

Menhaden

Striped bass

Concentrated animal feeding operations

Tilling the soil

Growing suburbs

Sewage treatment plant

Menhadenfishing

Coal-fired power plant

✚ Skip the fertilizer and learn to enjoy a few weeds in the lawn. Some, such as clover, are good for the soil.

✚ Compost your leaves. ✚ Mow high with a push mower to allow grass to builda better root system that will absorb and filter water. ✚ Plant native plants. ✚ Pick up a�er your pet.

SO

UR

CE

S: C

hes

apea

ke B

ay F

oun

dat

ion

, Ch

esap

eake

Bay

Pro

gram

TE

XT A

ND

ILLU

STR

ATIO

N B

Y PA

TTE

RS

ON

CLA

RK

/TH

E W

ASH

ING

TON

PO

ST

You drive across it on the way to the beach, but have you ever really thought about this amazing natural resource?

EXCESS NUTRIENTS

CONTAMINANTS

SEDIMENTS

Biologists are trying to help oysters return to the bay with hatcheries that introduce young oysters to the bay. Limits have been set on the harvest of menhaden, a fish that eats plankton (filtering the bay like oysters do) and is itself eaten by bigger fish. Blue crab numbers have improved dramatically dueto regulations on the harvestof female crabs.

✚ Stay out of bay-grass beds in shallow waters.

✚ Avoid using lawn fertilizers.

✚ Use proper catch-and-release fishing methods.

✚ HOW YOU CAN HELP

YOUR YARDYOUR YARD

Name ________________________________________________________________ Date_____________________________

The Chesapeake Bay: Problems and Solutions

Use of ColorProblems Solutions

Use of TopographyProblems Solutions

Use of IllustrationsProblems Solutions

Name ________________________________________________________________ Date_____________________________

The Chesapeake Bay: Problems and SolutionsUnderstanding Content — Problems

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_____________________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

Understanding Content — Solutions

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_____________________________________________________________________________________________

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_____________________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

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sch

isw

apek

i,” o

r “g

reat

sh

ellfi

sh b

ay.”

• �

e ba

y is

20

0 m

iles

lon

g an

d, a

t it

s w

ides

t, 3

0 m

iles

acro

ss. •

It h

old

s 15

tri

llion

gal

lon

s of

wat

er.

Farm

ing

wit

hou

t co

nse

rva

tion

p

ract

ices

ca

n p

ollu

te t

he

ba

y w

ith

•

sed

ime

nts

from

fiel

ds

plo

wed

fo

r ro

w c

rop

s su

ch a

s co

rn a

nd

from

farm

an

ima

ls w

ad

ing

th

rou

gh s

trea

ms,

• n

itro

gen

an

d p

ho

sph

oru

s

from

an

ima

l wa

ste

an

d fe

rtili

zers

n

ot u

sed

by

crop

s,•

germ

s fr

om fa

rm a

nim

als

,

• p

est

icid

es

an

d h

erb

icid

es

u

sed

to

kill

bu

gs a

nd

wee

ds.

�e

bu

ildin

g of

su

bu

rbs

on w

ha

t w

as

once

farm

s a

nd

fore

sts

rem

oves

th

e tr

ees

an

d o

ther

p

lan

ts t

ha

t h

elp

kee

p t

he

air

a

nd

wa

ter

clea

n. R

ain

wa

ter

run

s q

uic

kly

o� r

oa

ds,

ro

ofs

an

d

pa

rkin

g lo

ts, e

rod

ing

the

lan

d

an

d c

arr

yin

g se

dim

ents

an

d

pol

luti

on in

to t

he

ba

y. W

ildlif

e h

ab

ita

ts a

re b

roke

n u

p, a

nd

w

eed

y, n

onn

ati

ve p

lan

ts m

ove

in. A

ir p

ollu

tion

incr

ease

sa

s p

eop

le d

rive

mor

e.

Ab

out

a t

hir

d o

f th

e n

itro

gen

p

ollu

tin

g th

e b

ay

com

es fr

om

chem

ica

ls in

th

e a

ir p

rod

uce

d b

y p

ow

er

pla

nts

, fa

cto

rie

s, m

oto

rs

an

d a

nim

al f

arm

s. P

ollu

tan

ts

dis

solv

e in

ra

in o

r sn

ow o

r th

ey fa

ll d

irec

tly

into

th

e b

ay.

�ey

als

o fa

ll to

th

e gr

oun

d w

her

e th

ey a

re

wa

shed

into

loca

l w

ate

rwa

ys.

Alt

hou

gh s

ew

age

tre

atm

en

t p

lan

ts a

re e

�ec

tive

at

rem

ovin

g m

uch

of t

he

nit

roge

n fr

om

wa

stew

ate

r, si

gnifi

can

t a

mou

nts

of h

arm

ful n

utr

ien

ts s

till

get

into

th

e b

ay,

kill

ing

o� p

lan

ts a

nd

a

nim

als

. Ou

r vi

tam

ins

an

d

med

icin

es c

an

’t b

e re

mov

ed b

y th

e tr

eatm

ent

pla

nts

an

d

pa

ss t

hro

ugh

th

e sy

stem

in

to t

he

ba

y.

Peo

ple

love

to

eat

the

cra

bs,

fish

a

nd

oys

ters

from

th

e b

ay.

Bu

t ta

kin

g to

o m

an

y of

th

em fr

om t

he

ba

y —

th

at’s

ca

lled

ove

rha

rve

st-

ing

— h

arm

s th

e b

ala

nce

of t

he

ba

y’s

ecos

yste

m. A

t on

e ti

me,

th

ere

wer

e so

ma

ny

oyst

ers

tha

t th

ey

cou

ld c

lea

n, o

r fil

ter,

the

wh

ole

ba

y in

a w

eek.

Fis

h s

uch

as

sha

d,

wh

ich

use

d t

o m

igra

te fa

r u

pst

rea

m, a

re n

ow fe

w in

nu

mb

er

du

e to

pol

luti

on, o

verfi

shin

g a

nd

d

am

s th

at

blo

ck s

paw

nin

g st

rea

ms.

Sew

age

tre

atm

ent

pla

nts

are

gr

ad

ua

lly u

pgr

ad

ing

by

ad

din

g ex

tra

ste

ps

to t

hei

r n

utr

ien

t-re

mo

val p

roce

ss.

✚ C

omp

ost

you

r ki

tch

en s

cra

ps,

ra

ther

th

an

sen

din

g th

em

dow

n t

he

dis

pos

al.

✚ D

on’t

pou

r ch

emic

als

an

d

med

icin

es d

own

th

e d

rain

. U

se n

atu

ral c

lea

nse

rs.

✚ R

edu

ce y

our

wa

stew

ate

rb

y ta

kin

g sh

orte

r sh

ower

s.Fl

ush

th

e to

ilet

less

o�

en,

follo

win

g th

is r

ule

:

If it’

s ye

llow

, let

it m

ello

w.

If it’

s br

own,

flus

h it

dow

n.

Cle

an

, alt

ern

ati

ve e

ne

rgy

sou

rce

s, s

uch

as

win

d a

nd

sol

ar

pow

er, a

re m

ore

ava

ilab

le.

✚ T

urn

o�

TVs,

ligh

ts a

nd

com

pute

rs.

✚ T

rave

l by

bik

e, w

alk

or

take

pu

blic

tra

nsp

orta

tion

.

✚ E

nco

ura

ge y

our

pa

ren

ts t

o u

se

ener

gy-e

�ci

ent

veh

icle

s.

✚ G

et y

our

sch

ool t

o b

ecom

ea

“gr

een

sch

ool.”

Livi

ng

clo

se t

o w

ork

or

sch

oo

l re

du

ces

air

pol

luti

on (l

ess

dri

vin

g).

Ru

no�

is r

edu

ced

by

usi

ng

gre

en

ro

ofs

, pa

vem

en

t th

at

lets

wa

ter

thro

ug

h a

nd

ra

in g

ard

en

s.

✚ G

et y

our

fam

ily o

r sc

hoo

l to

bu

ilda

“ra

in g

ard

en”

tha

t ca

ptu

res

run

o� fr

om d

own

spou

ts, k

eep

ing

it o

ut

of s

torm

dra

ins

an

d c

reek

s.

✚ P

lan

t m

ore

pla

nts

at

hom

e or

sc

hoo

l to

ab

sorb

ru

no�

.

✚ T

ake

th

e ca

r to

a c

ar

wa

sh.

�ey

are

req

uir

ed t

o cl

ean

an

d

recy

cle

thei

r w

ate

r.

Wel

l-ma

na

ged

farm

s a

re e

xcel

len

t fil

ters

, soa

kin

g u

p r

ain

wa

ter

like

a

spon

ge a

nd

filt

erin

g ou

t se

dim

ents

a

nd

pol

luta

nts

. Cro

ps

can

be

grow

n

wit

ho

ut

plo

win

g t

he

so

il. F

arm

a

nim

als

ro

tate

d t

hro

ugh

a s

erie

sof

pa

stu

res

allo

w g

raze

d la

nd

sto

rec

over

qu

ickl

y.

✚ F

ind

ou

t w

her

e yo

ur

food

com

es

from

an

d h

ow it

is r

aise

d. G

et y

our

sc

hoo

l to

set

up

a v

eget

able

gar

den

.

✚ B

uy

pro

du

ce a

t lo

cal f

arm

ers

m

ark

ets.

Org

an

ica

lly g

row

n fo

ods

u

se n

o p

ollu

tin

g p

esti

cid

es.

✚ If

you

ea

t m

eat,

ma

ke s

ure

it

is p

ast

ure

-fed

.

De

ad

zo

ne

s ar

e ca

used

by

exce

ss n

utri

ents

(nit

roge

n a

nd

ph

osph

orus

), w

hic

h r

esul

t in

den

se a

lgae

blo

oms,

wh

ich

blo

ck o

ut s

unlig

ht

and

sev

erel

y d

eple

te o

xyge

n d

isso

lved

in t

he

wat

er, m

akin

g it

dea

dly

for

bay

life.

Str

ipe

d b

ass

, or

rock

fish

, th

ough

abu

nd

ant

in n

umbe

r, h

ave

rece

ntl

y be

en o

bser

ved

to

be

und

erw

eigh

t, s

ome

hav

ing

open

sor

es. �

is m

ay

be b

ecau

se t

hei

r fa

vori

te fo

od,

a sm

all fi

sh c

alle

d m

en

ha

de

n,

is b

ein

g h

eavi

ly fi

shed

in t

he

low

er b

ay.

Blu

e c

rab

s se

em a

bun

dan

t n

ow, a

lth

ough

sci

enti

sts

are

still

co

nce

rned

abo

ut t

he

num

bers

of f

emal

es. C

rabs

nee

d t

he

safe

tyof

th

e ba

y’s

und

erw

ater

gra

ss b

eds

as a

hid

ing

plac

e w

hen

th

eyar

e so

� o

r yo

ung

and

vul

ner

able

.

Bay

gra

sse

s re

duc

e sh

orel

ine

eros

ion

, pro

vid

e ox

ygen

to

the

wat

er,

colle

ct s

edim

ent

and

cre

ate

prot

ec-

tive

cov

er fo

r yo

ung

fish

, cra

bs a

nd

sh

rim

p.

Oys

ter

ree

fs p

rovi

de

hab

itat

for

fish

, cra

bs a

nd

smal

l in

vert

ebra

tes.

Eac

h

oyst

er c

an fi

lter

abo

ut 5

0 g

allo

ns

of w

ater

a d

ay, c

lean

ing

the

bay.

A h

ea

lth

y b

ay w

ould

be

fille

d w

ith

cle

an, c

lear

wat

er s

uppo

rtin

g a

food

web

th

at b

egin

s w

ith

pla

nkt

on (p

lan

t an

d a

nim

al m

icro

orga

nis

ms)

th

at

sust

ain

s sm

all fi

sh a

nd

inve

rteb

rate

s, w

hic

h a

re e

aten

by

larg

er fi

sh p

reye

d u

pon

by

bird

s an

d m

amm

als.

A b

alan

ced

eco

syst

em a

nd

sus

tain

able

fis

hin

g in

dus

try

coul

d s

uppo

rt p

eopl

e fo

r ge

ner

atio

ns

to c

ome.

մեe

aili

ng

bay

is c

hal

len

ged

by

incr

easi

ng

popu

lati

on a

nd

dev

elop

men

t, e

xces

sive

pol

luti

on a

nd

sed

imen

t, o

verfi

shin

g an

d t

he

maj

or lo

ss o

f fo

rest

s an

d w

etla

nd

s th

at o

nce

filt

ered

wat

er fl

owin

g in

to it

s ri

vers

an

d s

trea

ms.

A b

ay w

ith

exh

aust

ed r

esou

rces

can

not

sus

tain

th

e jo

bs o

f peo

ple

wh

o m

ake

thei

r liv

ing

from

th

e C

hes

apea

ke's

fish

, cra

bs a

nd

oth

er r

esou

rces

.

Exc

ess

se

dim

en

ts c

loud

th

e w

ater

, ove

rwh

elm

ing

oyst

ers

and

mak

ing

it d

i�cu

lt fo

r un

der

wat

er v

eget

atio

n t

o gr

ow.

Wit

hou

t ba

y gr

asse

s, t

he

wat

er h

as le

ss o

xyge

n a

nd

you

ng

fish

an

d c

rabs

hav

e n

owh

ere

to h

ide

from

pre

dat

ors.

Mow

ing

gras

s cl

ose

to t

he

grou

nd

red

uces

th

e ab

ility

of t

he

grou

nd

to

soak

up

and

filt

er r

ain

wat

er. P

esti

cid

es,

fert

ilize

rs a

nd

pet

was

te e

ven

tual

ly r

un o

� in

to t

he

bay,

cre

atin

g a

pollu

tion

pro

blem

. Gas

m

ower

s, w

eed

wh

acke

rs a

nd

leaf

blo

wer

s re

leas

e 10

tim

es t

he

pollu

tion

of a

car

run

nin

g fo

r th

e sa

me

amou

nt

of t

ime.

Wh

en E

urop

ean

col

onis

ts a

rriv

ed in

th

e 16

00

s, t

hey

set

tled

by

the

bay,

fish

ed t

he

wat

ers

and

cut

dow

n fo

rest

sto

cle

ar la

nd

for

farm

ing.

As

citi

es g

rew

an

d t

he

hum

an p

opul

atio

n in

crea

sed

, th

e ba

y be

cam

e po

llute

d a

nd

dep

lete

d.

�e

bay

was

at

its

sick

est

in t

he

198

0s.

Abo

ut 8

0 p

erce

nt

of it

s un

der

wat

er g

rass

es h

ad d

isap

pear

ed a

nd

98

per

cen

t of

its

oyst

ers

wer

e go

ne.

Sin

ce t

hen

, en

viro

nm

enta

l law

s an

d e

�or

ts t

o re

stor

e th

e ba

y’s

hea

lth

are

slo

wly

impr

ovin

g it

s ch

ance

s.

Non

-nat

ive

Ph

rag

mit

es

reed

sA

lgae

blo

omT

idal

wet

lan

ds

Win

d an

d so

lar

pow

er

Hig

h-de

nsi

tyho

usi

ng

Chi

cken

trac

tor

No-

till

cro

ps

Fa

rmer

s m

arke

tPa

stu

re-f

ed a

nim

als

Farm

an

imal

s d

enie

d a

cces

s to

str

eam

Fore

sted

bu

�er

s

Sew

age

trea

tmen

t pla

nt w

ith

adde

d n

utr

ien

t-re

mov

al s

yste

ms

Cra

bha

rves

tin

g

Subm

erge

d ba

y gr

asse

s

Men

hade

n

Stri

ped

bass

Con

cen

trat

ed a

nim

al

feed

ing

oper

atio

ns

Til

lin

g th

e so

il

Gro

win

g su

burb

s

Sew

age

trea

tmen

t pla

nt

Men

hade

nfis

hin

g

Coa

l-fir

ed

pow

er p

lan

t

✚ S

kip

the

fert

ilize

r an

d le

arn

to

enjo

y a

few

wee

ds

in t

he

law

n. S

ome,

suc

h a

s cl

over

, are

goo

d fo

r th

e so

il.✚

Com

post

you

r le

aves

. ✚ M

ow h

igh

wit

h a

pus

h m

ower

to

allo

w g

rass

to

build

a be

tter

roo

t sy

stem

th

at w

ill a

bsor

b an

d fi

lter

wat

er. ✚

Pla

nt

nat

ive

plan

ts. ✚

Pic

k up

a�

er y

our

pet.

SOURCES: Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Chesapeake Bay Program TEXT AND ILLUSTRATION BY PATTERSON CLARK/THE WASHINGTON POST

You

dri

ve a

cro

ss it

on

th

e w

ay t

o t

he

be

ach

, bu

t h

ave

yo

u e

ver

rea

lly t

ho

ugh

t a

bo

ut

this

am

azi

ng

nat

ura

l re

sou

rce

?

EXC

ES

S N

UTR

IEN

TS

CO

NTA

MIN

AN

TS

SED

IMENTS

Bio

logi

sts

are

try

ing

to h

elp

oys

ters

re

turn

to

the

ba

y w

ith

ha

tch

eri

es

tha

t in

trod

uce

you

ng

oyst

ers

to t

he

ba

y. L

imit

s h

ave

bee

n s

et o

n t

he

ha

rves

t of

men

ha

den

, a fi

sh t

ha

t ea

ts p

lan

kton

(filt

erin

g th

e b

ay

like

oyst

ers

do)

an

d is

itse

lf ea

ten

by

big

ger

fish

. Blu

e cr

ab

nu

mb

ers

hav

e im

pro

ved

dra

ma

tica

lly d

ue

to r

egu

lati

ons

on t

he

ha

rves

tof

fem

ale

cra

bs.

✚ S

tay

out

of b

ay-

gra

ss b

eds

in

sh

allo

w w

ate

rs.

✚ A

void

usi

ng

law

n fe

rtili

zers

.

✚ U

se p

rop

er c

atc

h-a

nd

-rel

ease

fis

hin

g m

eth

ods.

✚ H

OW

YO

U C

AN

HE

LP

YOU

R Y

AR

DYO

UR

YA

RD

2013: The Chesapeake Bay - Washington Post NIEof water in the Chesapeake Bay and the many rivers...

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Transcript of 2013: The Chesapeake Bay - Washington Post NIEof water in the Chesapeake Bay and the many rivers...