Samuel D. Kuznia

The Chesapeake Bay has experienced lackluster performance compared to its expected biological productivity, due in part to increased levels of nitrogen and phosphorus. “(Chesapeake Bay) supports fishing and recreational economies worth over $33 billion a year. But this is just a fraction of what it should be (Case Study, Cunningham).” This increase in nitrogen and phosphorus is linked to increased use of manure, fertilizer, suburban street pollution, the legal dumping of 3,000 sewage treatment plants, and air pollution caused by automobiles and factories. Sediments also play a key role in the disruption of the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem. These sediments are carried from fields and streets into the bay, blocking sunlight and complicating the process of photosynthesis. These increases in nutrients lead to increased populations of algae, which further reduce sunlight and starve the ecosystem of oxygen. This results in the death of lucrative species such as fish, crabs, and oysters. If these invasive species were managed, Chesapeake Bay’s biological productivity is sure to increase, thus boosting the economies of the six states that touch its waters. Although progress has been slow, the EPA recently took a large step in the protection of Chesapeake Bay by introducing The Clean Water Act. This doctrine limits the maximum daily loads of nutrients and sediments each state can allow to reach the Chesapeake Bay, yet allows for the states to decide how they reach these goals.  

The article I found, Chesapeake Cleanup Goals Out of Reach? by Karl Blankenship, paints a relatively bleak outlook. The last 34 years have seen an annual reduction of 2.4 million pounds of nitrogen within the bay. The only two states that remain on target to reach their goals by 2025 are West Virginia and the District of Columbia. The efforts made by these two states are completely undermined by states like Pennsylvania, which contribute more than two-fifths of the total nitrogen to the bay. Efforts are continuously made in an attempt to manage the nitrogen levels in the Chesapeake Bay. For example, a key to protection efforts, found in upgrades to waste treatment plants, have been made. The goal of these upgrades has been to reduce the contaminants found in sewage discharge. Other improvements are still waiting to be made. Research has shown that agriculture will play an important role in nitrogen reduction in the Chesapeake Bay. Currently, agriculture stands as the single largest pollutant contributing activity affecting the bay. Improvements such as planting streamside buffers, fencing livestock out of streams, manure storage facilities, and increased runoff protection are just some of the changes waiting to be made. Reductions in pollutants due to agriculture have proven a difficult task. These pollutants are so dispersed, it requires immense overhauling to control their spread.  

Source: Chesapeake Cleanup Goals Out of Reach? By Karl Blankenship (September 8, 2020) published to the Bay Journal; https://www.bayjournal.com/news/policy/chesapeake-cleanup-goals-out-of-reach/article_5604a5e4-eed1-11ea-8c97-f38ffded1d77.html