Why Is Stormwater Harmful To The Chesapeake Bay

It is their home, their thriving place. According to the National WIldlife Federation, ¨The Bay supports 3,600 species of plant and animal life, including more than 300 fish species and 2,700 plant types.”. Not only does the wildlife depend on the bay, but humans do as well. The Chesapeake Bay contains a 64,000-square-mile watershed, this watershed provides large amounts of drinking water for us in Maryland, along with several other states. Everyday, the condition of the water declines, meaning the home for wildlife and our drinking water does too. The Chesapeake Bay Foundation pointed out that, ¨Toxic chemicals are constantly entering the Chesapeake Bay and its rivers and streams via wastewater, agriculture, stormwater, and air pollution. These harmful chemicals, such as mercury, PCBs, and PAHs, do not break down easily and persist in the environment for many years, impacting not just fish and birds, but humans as well.¨. How important does the restoration of the bay sound

Needless to say, it does not mean that the Bay was out of trouble by only having to deal with the problems of the nutrients runoff. The nitrogen and phosphorus is more than enough to handle the Chesapeake Bay. By the year 1987the Chesapeake Bay was taking in 184,000 metric tons of nitrogen 74,000 metric tons of phosphorus a year from

Types of human activity that affect the Bay's health. Humans either do not see or do not care about the pollution they send into the water. As humans build more factories close to the water or send more waste out of their homes it goes into the Bay causing many problems for the ecosystem. "waste from people's homes, stores, and offices is also treated and discharged into the Bay and its rivers. " (Chesapeake Bay Ecosystem) People do not understand the effects of pollution the Chesapeake Bay Ecosystem says that people believe the water where the pollution is going will dilute the pollution and won’t be as bad. Humans do no understand the problems pollution will cause. The population of the Blue Crabs in the Bay was below average for over 10 years. From 1998 until 2009 the crab ecosystem was so unhealthy they were unable to live and reproduce.

Nowadays, the most water pollution in Washington States comes from storm-water runoffs. Storm-water discharges are generated by runoff from land and impervious areas such as paved streets, parking lots, and building rooftops. During rainfall and snow events that often contain pollutants in quantities that could adversely affect water quality. Moreover, toxic chemical runoff from storm-water has an impact on organisms and human health. Therefore, this essay will focus on Puget Sound storm-water pollution, how they impact on living organisms, some solution of storm-water pollution, and why do we should care about of Puget

The importance of the Chesapeake Bay is introduced. The bay is home to a large amount of seafood businesses, and many people fish the bay and its tributaries for sport. Grass beds are essential to many of the organisms living in this ecosystem, but are being destroyed by pollution. Agriculture involves more than a fourth of the bay's watershed. This makes agricultural runoff a big focus. Excessive nitrogen and phosphorus causes eutrophication. These nutrients come from pesticides and sewage also. A goal was set in 1985 to cut back the percent of nutrients being put into the bay by these two sources. It is thought that redirecting the flow of soil with nutrients in them will reduce the runoff, but if the nutrients seep into groundwater they still get into the Chesapeake Bay. Farmers have ways to help reduce these nutrient levels, but it is not the cheapest way to farm, so not all farmers are doing their part to save the bay. Another contributor of runoff land development. Runoff can occur from exposed land being prepared to be developed, or because of what has been used to replace what used to naturally be.

Due to the large bodies of water in the county, there is a high risk for drowning. Water quality pollutants in the county come from fertilizers, bacteria from animal feces, sediment from land that are being cleared and stream channel erosion. When the rain falls into farms, parking lots, construction sites, and lawns the water collects pollutants and they get carried to the stream and then eventually end up in the Chesapeake Bay. In 2010 10 out of 15 streams sampled were rated far to poor, E-Coli, dissolved oxygen, fecal coliform, Chlorophyll-A and Polychlorinated Biphenyls were noted in the samples (2013 Natural Resource Indicator Report, 2014). C & R Battery Company Inc. and the Defense General Supply Center DLA were found on the national priority list for the most hazardous waste sites identified by the Environment Protection Agency because it is a risk to human and/or the environment (Virginia Superfund Sites, 2013).

The bay has fifty major rivers and streams that drift into it. Nitrogen and Phosphorous are rapidly getting released into the bay. Most of the Nitrogen and Phosphorous comes from agriculture, air, and sewage. The excessive nitrogen and Phosphorus degrade the bay's water quality. Each year roughly three hundred pounds of polluting nitrogen gets into the Chesapeake Bay. Just like the Everglades the Chesapeake's water is in danger.

With the algae growing so close to the edge or shoreline they are constantly taking in the run-off or whatever may be on the shoreline. This makes it very bad for not just the algae but also the the water and species living down under. A lot of this pollution may come from the big city plants. Their disposals might just be fed right into the Chesapeake Bay and they probably do not care. This is a big problem all over the world, not just the Chesapeake Bay. (Decline of Submerged Plants in the Chesapeake Bay) Another reason to why there is such a decline in not just algae but other grasses is that the warming trend over the last 20 years, global warming. By the looks of it, the warming trend is not going to stop, so this may be a problem to deal with for a longer time. Natural diseases is another way the decline in algae and other grass plants is happening. Mostly dead organisms is the reason for these natural diseases. Once you get a bunch of bacteria and fungi, you will hope to get rid of the algae or grasses because it will most likely just end up making the Bay worse, and turning away species. The number of hurricanes the Chesapeake Bay takes does not help the cause. Hurricanes are affecting the salinity of the Bay. The salinity affects the growth and the amount that grows in a plant as well. (Decline of Submerged Plants in the Chesapeake Bay) The pollution can fall down into the water and you may find pollutants in the sediment. The sediment is home to many species. It can be very protective to large predators and large predators can possibly hide in there while they wait for an attack. Ways the pollutants are getting down there is carelessness by the fisherman and the people in charge of it to take

Nowadays, people stay away from analyzing how their actions impact the environment producing long lasting consequences. The opportunity to act is right where anyone stands and the closest one to this area is known as the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Therefore, the amount of nutrients going into the Chesapeake Bay should be reduced since the use of fertilizers has increased dramatically over time causing water pollution and the death of many species.

The Chesapeake Bay is the nation’s largest estuary with six major tributaries, the James, the Potomac, the Susquehanna, the Patuxent, the York, and the Rappahannock Rivers, feeding into the bay from various locations in Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and the District of Columbia (Chemical Contaminants in the Chesapeake Bay – Workshop Discussion 1). These areas depend on the Bay as both an environmental and an economic resource. Throughout the last 15 years the Chesapeake Bay has suffered from elevated levels of pollution. Nitrogen and phosphorous from wastewater treatment plants, farmland, air pollution, and development all lead to reduced water clarity and lowered oxygen levels, which harm fish, crabs, oysters and

To begin, there are many types of human activities affecting the health of Chesapeake Bay. Residential developments have replaced wetlands, forests and meadows, taking away habitats of the native wildlife. Overuse of natural resources has caused the degradation of foods necessary for wildlife in the ecosystem. Intensive hunting practices have caused the extinction of several species in the area. Soil damage as a result of fertilization has contaminated nearby water supplies, causing damage in the Bay. Point-source pollution as a result of industrial businesses has also

Our watershed, the chesapeake bay stretches more than 64,000 square miles and is home to about 18 million people.The bay provides us with a lot of things like fishes,salt and water for farming etc. But, the bay is starting to get polluted and many organisms in the bay are dying because of sediments, algae blooms etc.

Did you ever wonder how things you do everyday effect the Chesapeake Bay watershed and Its tributaries? Well, It turns out to be not so good. One of the main causes for the Bay’s bad health are nutrients which are caused by excess nitrogen and phosphorus in the air and water. Plants and animals need nutrients to survive but when too many nutrients are in the water they fuel the growth of algae blooms and create conditions that are harmful for aquatic creatures.

According to the U.S. Forest Service, flood like conditions have devastating effects on soils and plants. For example, poor soil aeration means that plants do not have access to the oxygen that they need to thrive. This results in stunted plant growth. Excessive water increase acid soils and buildup of decomposed matter that is full of methane and carbon dioxide. As a result, plants, flowers and shrubs will slowly die.

Awareness of the damaging effects storm water runoff is causing to the water quality and