Chesapeake Bay

Aug 11, 2016

Bay-Cationing

Chesapeake Bay, In Your Backyard, Water Quality 1 Comment

by Gwendolyn Supplee

My family has been vacationing on the southern eastern shore of Maryland at Janes Island State Park since 2013. The first year, we had an almost one-year old daughter and weren’t quite comfortable getting out on the waters of the Tangier Sound with a little one. So we enjoyed the beauty of the Bay from the land, but were still able to partake in many of the activities that make a “Bay-cation” so appealing, at least to us – fishing and crabbing!

As we began to plan our 2014 vacation, my husband suggested we buy a boat to really experience the Chesapeake Bay where it was meant to be enjoyed, on the water. I was open to the idea, until he came home with a used boat he found with so much dirt, weeds, and small trees growing out of it, I wasn’t sure if he had purchased a boat or a planter for our front yard. Alas, he got the boat sea-worthy for our trip, and we were able to experience the open Bay.

He’s made improvements to the boat every summer, and similarly, the Chesapeake Bay has shown some great improvements in many of its water quality indicators in the last several summers, as well. That’s a big deal considering the impact of a cleaner Bay on the region’s economy, including drawing more families like mine to its shores.

Since 2010, the six Bay states and the District of Columbia have been taking significant steps to meet the clean water goals of the historic Bay TMDL “pollution diet.” The TMDL is designed to reduce excess nitrogen, phosphorus and sediment that leads to murky water and algae blooms, blocking sunlight from reaching and sustaining underwater Bay grasses and creating low levels of oxygen for aquatic life, such as fish, crabs and oysters.

I eagerly read the reports about the outlooks for fishing and crabbing this July before we set out on vacation, and when we got to the park, we quickly made friends with our camping neighbor to learn the best spots for casting our poles and nets.

As a Marylander who frequents the waters of the Bay up and down the Eastern Shore, our new friend commented the Bay had the best clarity and abundance of Bay grasses he had seen in years, and expressed optimism that the cleanup seemed to be working. The next day we reeled in a male blue crab, 6 ¼” point to point, and had to agree, things on the Bay, especially our nightly vacation dinners with crab on the menu, were definitely looking up!

Check out this site for some simple ways to help restore the Bay and keep those blue crab meals coming.

About the Author: Gwendolyn Supplee is a Life Scientist who has been with EPA for six years and currently works in the Air Protection Division. In her spare time, she enjoys exploring the outdoors on land and on the water with her family.

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Feb 4, 2016

See the data, find a solution

algal bloom, Chesapeake Bay, data, Great Lakes, In Your Backyard 0 Comments

by Amanda Pruzinsky

Ever remember a time when you were in school thinking “why am I learning this?” I sure can. But I can also remember the first time everything just clicked and made complete sense. For me, it was in my high school environmental science class where I felt like I could make a real difference by helping plants, animals, and people all at once!

To provide students with the opportunity to work on important environmental projects, The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency worked in collaboration with many organizations to create a contest for high school students in the Great Lakes and Chesapeake Bay regions. The Visualize Your Water Challenge asks students to use open government data to help visualize nutrient pollution.

Though nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus are vital for life, too many nutrients in our waterways can cause algal blooms that harm aquatic life. This contest gives young people an opportunity to dive into the world of environmental data, GIS technology, problem solving, communications, and more.

I know that when I was a high school student, I would have been ecstatic for this kind of opportunity to use real-world data for environmental problem solving. Data visualization helps us to see the data in a new way, so we can not only better understand what it is telling us, but how we can more effectively communicate it to others. People all over the world, including here at EPA, are working on creating these kinds of visualizations to help make decisions and find new solutions to environmental challenges.

If you are a high school student, parent, teacher, or know someone who is, there is more information available on the contest and eligibility.

Get in on the challenge today! The competition closes on March 1, 2016.

About the Author: Amanda Pruzinsky is a physical scientist for the Water Protection Division in EPA’s mid-Atlantic region working to support all of the water programs with a focus on data management, analysis, and communication.

Oct 5, 2015

Commuting Decathlon

Chesapeake Bay, commuting, EPA Atlantic Ecology Division, eutrophication, Hypoxia, narragansett bay, nitrogen, nitrogen calculator, nitrogen footprint 0 Comments

By Stephen Hale

Commuting by land.

One day driving to work, I wondered how much nitrogen my car was contributing to Narragansett Bay—just down the street from my office in EPA’s Atlantic ecology lab. Deposition from vehicle emissions is a significant source of nitrogen to estuaries like Narragansett Bay and Chesapeake Bay. This line of thinking was sparked by a recent trip, and my current research studying the effects of nitrogen-driven eutrophication (too much organic matter) and the consequent hypoxia (too little dissolved oxygen) on the clams, crabs, and other animals living on and in the bottom sediments.

How could I reduce my commuting nitrogen footprint on the Bay?

Lucky enough to live close to the lab —1.6 miles by land, 1.0 mile by sea—I often bike or walk to work. Then last June, on a walking holiday, my wife and I passed through Land’s End, the southwestern-most point of the United Kingdom. An amusing exhibit highlighted the many different ways people have gotten from there to John o’Groats at the northern tip of Scotland—603 miles as the crow flies, 874 by road, 1,200 by off-road paths. Notable “end-to-enders” have done it by rolling a wheelchair, walking barefoot, running backwards, skateboarding, swimming, hitting a golf ball the entire way, and walking nude (with frequent delays due to getting arrested).

When I got home, I set out to commute to work using ten different “nitrogen-free” modes of transportation (without breaking any laws!): a commuting decathlon.

Here’s how I completed the decathalon:

By land: walked, ran, biked, rollerbladed, cross-country skied (last winter).
By sea: kayaked, rowed, swam, sailed, standup-paddleboarded.

My favorites were the ones that didn’t require strapping on or into specialized equipment, just the human body on its own—the “Paleo Commute.”

Commuting by sea.

Although most commuters don’t live close enough to work to do a decathlon, if the average worker avoided using their car to commute just one day a week, nitrogen and a lot of other emissions would be substantially reduced. The Chesapeake Bay Foundation says that about 33% of the nitrogen pollution to the Bay comes from the air; of that, about 40% comes from motor vehicles. You can calculate your nitrogen footprint using their calculator: www.cbf.org/yourbayfootprint. A more comprehensive calculator is available on the N-Print website: www.n-print.org/. I learned that although the contribution from my car is less than from my sewage and electricity use, it is a significant amount.

Now I’m thinking, why stop at ten ways of commuting? Skateboarding? Snowshoeing? Do you have any other ideas? If so, please share them in the comments section below—but please don’t get arrested!

About the author: Stephen Hale is a research ecologist in EPA’s laboratory in Narragansett, Rhode Island. His favorite habitat is the mud at the bottom of Narragansett Bay.

Jul 23, 2015

Experience history and nature on rail-trails

Around the Water Cooler, Chesapeake Bay, In Your Backyard, outdoor activities, Stormwater, urban escapes 1 Comment

by Virginia Thompson

A view from the Heritage Rail Trail County Park.

My husband is a huge fan of biking on rail-trails created by the conversion of unused railroad rights-of-way. Within the past year alone, he has ridden on many trails in the Philadelphia suburbs, as well as throughout the Mid-Atlantic states. On a recent trip, we rode on two rail-trails in southcentral Pennsylvania.

The Heritage Rail Trail County Park in York County, recently ranked by the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy as the top rail-trail in the U.S. for American history, carried President Abraham Lincoln to Gettysburg for his famous address and also carried his funeral party to Springfield, Illinois, following his assassination. The trail follows the South Branch of Codorus Creek, connecting the City of York and many small communities with beautifully restored train stations that now serve other purposes. The trail, next to an active rail line, also continues across the Mason-Dixon line and connects with the Northern Central Rail Trail in Maryland.

The Safe Harbor Dam as seen from the Enola Low-Grade Trail

Another trail we biked recently was in Lancaster County—the Enola Low-Grade Trail—which parallels the Susquehanna River as it approaches the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland. One of the interesting facets of the trail is the juxtaposition of older and new forms of electric power. On the cliffs above the trail are several large windmills, taking advantage of the height and open space to generate electricity. Just below the windmills sits the Safe Harbor dam, reliably providing hydroelectric power since December 1931. The fish congregating at the dam attract bald eagles, which can be seen flying above the dam. There’s nothing quite like experiencing history and nature by biking or hiking a rail-trail. At one stop on the trail, as I looked up at the windmills and down to the river and generating station, I felt small and insignificant in one respect, but also an important part of the natural balance.

Turning formerly used rail lines into biking and hiking trails is a great way to bring people closer to waterways in their regions. EPA’s Brownfields program has had a hand in converting unused rail lines, which often snake along picturesque rivers (our nation’s original highways), into prime recreational areas. The Harrison Township Mine Site in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania was assessed through a Brownfields grant, and is now part of the Rachel Carson trail, attracting area visitors as well as hiking and running events. Allegheny County is even acquiring additional land so that the Harrison Hills Park Mine Site will ultimately connect three trails – the Rachel Carson Trail, the Butler-Freeport Trail, and the Baker Trail.

Leave a comment below to let us know about rail-trails in your area.

About the author: Virginia Thompson works at EPA Region 3 and accompanies her husband on his rail-trail adventures as often as possible.

Jul 2, 2015

A “Bridge” to Clean Water

Chesapeake Bay, Clean Water SRF, Local Community, Watersheds 0 Comments

The Natural Bridge and surrounding land in Rockbridge County will be preserved as part of Virginia’s state park system with help from EPA’s Clean Water State Revolving Fund.

by Bob Chominski

How can a bridge clean water? Don’t bridges span over the water? Well, this is no average bridge we are talking about, but a “Natural Bridge” located in Rockbridge County, Virginia, north of Roanoke.

The Natural Bridge, a 215 foot limestone arch, and surrounding property was bought by Thomas Jefferson just before the American Revolution and the writing of the Declaration of Independence. Jefferson purchased the property from King George III of England for 20 schillings. Today, that would be about $3.00! Legend has it that a young George Washington surveyed the site for Lord Fairfax.

So how does this relate to clean water? The Natural Bridge and the surrounding property are located in the James River Watershed, which feeds into the Chesapeake Bay. The bridge and property were up for sale with the possibility of “developing” the property with homes. Using EPA funding, a $9.1 million loan was made through the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality’s Clean Water Revolving Loan fund. It was part of a complex purchase by a newly formed conservation non-profit, the Virginia Conservation Legacy Fund, Inc. The conservation effort will prevent nutrient pollution that could be associated with land development from reaching the Bay.

The Natural Bridge and surrounding land will be preserved as part of Virginia’s state park system. I recently visited the Natural Bridge and if you enjoy the outdoors and history, which I do, this place is spectacular! I can see why the bridge has been included in several listings of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World. If you’re in the Roanoke area, don’t miss out on experiencing this natural wonder, the history, and of course, the clean water.

About the author: Bob Chominski is the Deputy Associate Director of the Water Protection Division’s Office of Infrastructure and Assistance in EPA’s Mid-Atlantic Region. Away from work, he enjoys snow skiing and working around his house and yard.