Chesapeake Bay Foundation State of the Bay Report

The Chesapeake Bay Foundation's (CBF) biennial State of the Bay Report score decreased one point to 33, equivalent to a D+.

The lower score for 2018 was due mainly to increased pollution and poor water clarity caused by record regional rainfall.

"The good news is that scientists are pointing to evidence of the Bay's increased resiliency and ability to withstand, and recover from, these severe weather events. And this resiliency is a direct result of the pollution reductions achieved to date. In addition, we did see increases in scores for dissolved oxygen and Bay grasses since 2016, but the recovery is still fragile," said CBF's Director of Science and Agricultural Policy Beth McGee.

Established in 1998, CBF's State of the Bay Report is a comprehensive measure of the Bay's health. CBF scientists compile and examine the best available data and information for 13 indicators in three categories: pollution, habitat, and fisheries. CBF scientists assign each indicator an index score from 1-100. Taken together, these indicators offer an overall assessment of Bay health.

Dissolved oxygen and bay grasses improved. In the pollution category, toxics were unchanged, while water clarity, and nitrogen and phosphorus pollution were worse. In the habitat category, scores for bay grasses and resource lands improved, and buffers and wetlands remained the same. In the fisheries category, scores for oysters, crabs, and rockfish remained the same, while the score for shad declined.

This year's score is still far short of the goal to reach 40 by 2025 and ultimately a 70, which would represent a saved Bay. The unspoiled Bay ecosystem described by Captain John Smith in the 1600s, with its extensive forests and wetlands, clear water, abundant fish and oysters, and lush growths of submerged vegetation serves as the theoretical benchmark and would rate a 100 on CBF's scale.

The Clean Water Blueprint requires the Bay jurisdictions to decrease pollution to local creeks, rivers, and the Bay. State and local governments have committed to achieve specific, measurable reductions. The states agreed to have the 60 percent of the needed programs and practices in place by 2017, and to complete the job by 2025.

Of the primary Bay states, Virginia and Maryland were close to meeting the 2017 goals but need to accelerate pollution reduction from agriculture and urban/suburban runoff. Pennsylvania continues to be far short of its goals, mostly as a result of falling behind in addressing pollution from agriculture.

The full Chesapeake Bay Foundation 2018 State of the Bay Report can be accessed at: http://www.cbf.org/document-library/cbf-reports/2018-state-of-the-bay-report.pdf

source: Chesapeake Bay Foundation

2018 Clean Diesel Grants

In November, 2018, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced funding for three clean diesel projects totaling $4.7 million. The grants are part of an effort to reduce air pollution from aging diesel engines in the Mid-Atlantic region.

The funding will go to the Maryland Environmental Service (MES), the Mid-Atlantic Regional Air Management Association (MARAMA), and the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (WashCOG).

EPA’s Clean Diesel Program provides support for projects that protect human health and improve air quality by reducing harmful emissions from diesel engines.

This program includes grants and rebates funded under the Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA). DERA funding has supported nearly 25,000 cleaner buses across the country for America’s schoolchildren.

Cumulatively, this funding will result in overall lifetime emissions reductions of more than 1,013 tons of ozone-forming oxides of nitrogen (NOx): 58.7 tons of particulate matter (PM); more than 240 tons of carbon monoxide (CO): 724 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2); and, will save more than 91,000 gallons of fuel.

Clean Diesel Grants:

Maryland Environmental Service (MES)

EPA will provide $2.5 million to the port of Baltimore to assist MES in its efforts to reduce diesel emissions and exposure at the port. This project will replace or repower cargo handling equipment and drayage trucks, as well as marine engines on the pleasure vessel, The Spirit of Baltimore, which will improve air quality by reducing harmful emissions by 37 tons of PM, 398 tons of NOx, 165 tons of CO, and 724 tons of CO2, as well as saving 64,450 gallons of fuel.

Mid-Atlantic Regional Air Management Association (MARAMA)

The agency will provide MARAMA with more than $1.3 million to provide incentives to dray truck owners serving the ports and railyards of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Wilmington, Delaware for voluntary early replacement of 40 drayage trucks with older (1997 – 2006) engines. Replacement trucks will have model year 2013 or newer engines with the latest particulate and NOx reducing technology. This initiative will reduce emissions by 197 tons of NOx, 11.5 tons of PM, 75 tons of CO, as well as air toxics in areas that are not currently attaining federal health-based air quality standards.

Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (WashCOG)

EPA will provide WashCOG with $882,000 to partially fund the re-powering of four diesel propulsion engines and four auxiliary engines on two marine passenger vessels. These vessels are currently operating on the Potomac River in Washington, DC and surrounding communities in Maryland and Virginia. The retrofits will result in reductions of 418 tons of NOx, and 10 tons of PM.

For more information about the DERA program, visit www.epa.gov/cleandiesel.

source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Mid Atlantic Superstar Beaches

Nineteen Mid Atlantic beaches have been named as superstar beaches by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC).

In June, 2014, NRDC announced the designation of 35 popular beaches across 14 states as superstars for consistently meeting water quality safety thresholds. Superstar beaches met national water quality benchmarks 98% of the time over the past five years.

Mid Atlantic Superstar Beaches:

New York

Long Beach City (Nassau County)

New Jersey

Washington (Margate-Atlantic County)
40th St. (Avalon-Cape May County)
40th St. (Sea Isle City-Cape May County)
Stone Harbor at 96th St. (Cape May County)
Upper Township at Webster Rd. (Cape May County)
Wildwood Crest at Orchid (Cape May County)
Broadway (Pt. Pleasant Beach-Ocean County)

Delaware

Dewey Beach-Swedes (Sussex County)
  
Maryland

Point Lookout State Park (St Mary's County)
Assateague State Park (Worcester County)

Virginia

Virginia Beach at 28th St.
Virginia Beach at 45th St.
Back Bay Beach (Virginia Beach)
Little Island Beach North (Virginia Beach)


North Carolina

Ocean Pier at Main St. and Sunset Blvd. (Brunswick County)
Beach at Cape Hatteras Lighthouse (Dare County)
Ocean Pier at Salisbury Street in Wrightsville Beach (New Hanover County) 
Ocean Pier at Ocean Blvd. and Crews Ave. in Topsail Beach (Pender County)          


Mid Atlantic State Beach Water Quality Rankings (out of 30 states)

Delaware 1st

New Jersey 3rd

Maryland 4th

North Carolina 5th

Virginia 6th

New York 24th


Testing the Waters: A Guide to Water Quality at Vacation Beaches collects and analyzes the latest water testing results from the EPA and state beach coordinators at nearly 3,500 beach testing locations nationwide.

The 24th annual report card examines the various causes of water pollution that plague America’s beaches and presents crucial, timely opportunities to keep pollution out of America’s beaches, lakes, and rivers.

source: Natural Resources Defense Council

Anacostia River - Watt's Branch Restoration

The Anacostia watershed is one of the most urbanized watersheds in the Chesapeake Bay drainage basin. Because of its cultural importance, the watershed has been identified as a priority area for interagency cooperation in both President Obama's America's Great Outdoors Initiative and the Urban Waters Federal Partnership.

In 2010, a group of federal agencies, local organizations, and others formed a partnership to restore a section of Watts Branch, a tributary of the Anacostia.

Completed in 2011, the restoration project was funded largely by the District of Columbia's Department of Environment and also carried out by the Department of the Interior's U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service along with the National Park Service, USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington Water and Sewer and several local organizations.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and other partners restored eroded stream channel while nearby sewer lines were relocated and improved.

After the restoration, a local nonprofit, Washington Parks and People, has begun using Watts Branch as an outdoor classroom to prepare an emerging workforce for jobs in urban and community forestry.

A follow-up analysis of the Watts Branch restoration by the U.S. Geological Survey found that the effort has had a substantial impact on the local economy, directly or indirectly. The study estimates that the project added 45 jobs, $2.6 million in local labor income and $3.4 million in value to the local D.C. metropolitan area in 2011. 

source: U.S. Geological Survey

Harris Creek Oyster Sanctuary

During the 2012 season, Maryland initiated oyster plantings aimed at fulfilling the goals set by federal agencies to restore oyster habitat and populations in 20 Bay tributaries by 2025.

Workers deployed 634 million spat on shell in Maryland’s portion of the Chesapeake Bay, with most of those deployed into the Harris Creek oyster sanctuary.

The effort involved the Oyster Recovery Partnership (ORP), the University of Maryland Horn Point Lab Hatchery (UMD HPL), along with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the Army Corps of Engineers Baltimore District

Nearly one third of the 360 acre goal in Harris Creek has been planted with enhanced substrate and spat on shell. In addition, portions of the Upper Bay were restocked with oysters after last year’s wide-scale mortality from excessive fresh water.

Harris Creek, a tributary of the Choptank River, is the first river targeted for large-scale, tributary-based oyster restoration. This area was chosen collaboratively by Maryland DNR, Army Corps Baltimore District and NOAA because of its high likelihood to succeed. Construction of the Harris Creek oyster sanctuary is funded primarily by Maryland DNR, the Army Corps and NOAA.

source: Oyster Recovery Partnership

Rising Mid Atlantic Sea Surface Temperatures

According to the latest Ecosystem Advisory issued by NOAA's Northeast Fisheries Science Center (NEFSC), temperatures in the Delaware and Chesapeake Bays were more than 6 degrees C (11°F) above historical average at the surface and more than 5 degrees C (9°F) above average at the bottom during the first six months of 2012.

During the same period, sea surface temperatures off North America's Atlantic Coast were the highest ever recorded. The affected area, known as the Northeast US Continental Shelf Large Marine Ecosystem (LME), extends from the Gulf of Maine to Cape Hatteras, North Carolina.

The Spring 2012 Ecosystem Advisory is available online at:

http://www.nefsc.noaa.gov/ecosys/advisory/current/advisory.html

source: nefsc.noaa.gov

BOEM Offshore Renewable Energy Program Public Listening Session

On Tuesday, April 10, 2012, the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (MAFMC) will host a Public Listening Session in which Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) representatives will take questions and input from fishermen and other stakeholders regarding offshore renewable energy projects (see below for registration).

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) is engaged in siting offshore renewable energy facilities along the Atlantic seaboard.  As part of the planning and analysis for the offshore renewable energy process BOEM is reaching out to fishers to solicit their thoughts regarding offshore renewable energy as well as informing fishers about the offshore renewable energy leasing process.

BOEM will also provide an update on offshore renewable energy activities in the Mid-Atlantic (New York to North Carolina). Updates on the status of other BOEM-funded studies will also be presented during the meeting.

BOEM staff, MAFMC leaders, National Marine Fisheries Service personnel will be present to answer questions. The public can attend in person or via the internet.

For online webinar access register at:  https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/357029721. This is the same link for listening-in to the MAFMC meeting Agenda.

For questions regarding the Listening Session process, contact Jason Didden at jdidden@mafmc.org or (302) 526-5254.

Information regarding BOEM’s renewable energy program can be found at:  http://www.boem.gov/Renewable-Energy-Program/index.aspx

Meeting Time and Location:

Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (MAFMC) Meeting
Tuesday, April 10, 2012 - 5:00 pm to 6:00 pm
Sanderling Inn, 1461 Duck Road, Duck, NC

And Via the Internet at http://www.mafmc.org/

source: MAFMC

Chesapeake Region Native Plant Center

A new online portal, the Native Plant Center for the Chesapeake Bay Region, allows for the identification and selection of native plant species for habitat restoration in the Chesapeake Bay watershed.

Users to the portal, www.nativeplantcenter.net, can search for native plants by name, plant type, sun exposure, soil texture and moisture, and even find native plants with the same shape, color, size or other characteristics as some of their favorite non-native plants.

The portal also includes a geo-locator feature to identify plants suited to a user’s specific location. An online network for interacting with other Chesapeake Bay stewards is planned.

The portal uses the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service’s native plant database, associated with the publication entitled Native Plants for Wildlife Habitat and Conservation Landscaping: Chesapeake Bay Watershed.

The Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay, with support from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, contracted with Image Matters LLC to create an online version of the guide, the Native Plants Center, Chesapeake Region.

Mid Atlantic Fracking Controversy

A hot issue in the Mid Atlantic USA is the practice of "fracking". Wikipedia defines Hydraulic fracturing or "fracking") as:

"a process that results in the creation of fractures in rocks. The fracturing is done from a wellbore drilled into reservoir rock formations to increase the rate and ultimate recovery of oil and natural gas.

"Hydraulic fractures may be natural or man-made and are extended by internal fluid pressure which opens the fracture and causes it to extend through the rock."

One staunch opponent of fracking in the USA, including Mid Atlantic states is Food and Water Watch, a national environmental rights organization.

According to FWW:

"Last week, on the anniversary of the BP Deepwater Horizon blowout, a fracking well in Bradford County, Pennsylvania had its own blowout, leaking toxic fracking fluid onto nearby farmland and into a local stream. Seven families had to evacuate their homes and the spill caused Chesapeake Energy, the second largest natural gas producer in the country — and the operator of this well — to suspend fracking in the state of Pennsylvania until they can figure out what caused the blowout."

The issue has gotten considerable attention following worldwide disasters such as the 2010 BP Atlantis oil spill and more recently the Nuclear reactor crisis in Japan.


UPDATE


In May, 2011, members of the U.S. House of Representatives urged the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to conduct a thorough environmental assessment of the potential impacts of hydraulic fracturing in the Delaware River Basin before allowing a potential 20,000 shale gas wells to be drilled in the area.

source: F&WW