Watershed Alliance of York

Storms Affected the Bay

2011-09-22T08:50:00.000-07:00

09/21/2011 Scientists study storms' effects on bay, The Capital - Online, View Clip

09/21/2011 Storms leave Chesapeake Bay a muddy mess, York Dispatch – Online View Clip

09/21/2011 Storms Leave Chesapeake Full of Debris, WBFF-TV – Online View Clip

News from Around the Shed

2011-07-19T08:59:00.000-07:00

7/8/11 Chestertown farmer takes aim at saving the Bay, Star Democrat - Online, The View Clip

7/10/11 A great notion: Restoring home waters, Baltimore Sun – Online View Clip

7/11/11 A cleaner bay, a better economy, Newsday – Online View Clip

7/11/11 Chesapeake Bay restoration to be sized up, Washington Post – Online View Clip

7/11/11 Federal official says farm practices help with bay cleanup, News Virginian, The View Clip

7/11/11 Feds name new leader for bay program, Capital, The View Clip

7/11/11 Pesticide bill threatens the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem, Baltimore Sun – Online View Clip

7/11/11 USDA official points to Chesapeake Bay progress, Wall Street Journal View Clip

7/11/11 MD is On Track in Meeting Bay Restoration Goals, TheBayNet.com View Clip

7/12/11 Cheasepeake Bay states meeting cleanup goals, Richmond Times-DispatchOnline View Clip

7/12/11 Chesapeake Bay 'pollution diet' on track, WAVY-TVOnline View Clip

7/12/11 EPA Names New Director of Chesapeake Bay Program, Water & Wastes Digest – Online View Clip

7/12/11 Leaders pledge bay cleanup is on track, The Capital - Online View Clip

7/12/11 Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission to sell leases for natural gas drilling, official says (Patriot News) -- A spokesman says the Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission plans to lease portions of its 43,000 acres of waterways for natural gas drilling to generate money to rebuild more than a dozen dams that are in danger of collapse. http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2011/07/pennsylvania_fish_boat_commiss.html

7/12/11 Pennsylvania DEP Announces $2.6 million in Conservation District Grants for Increased Outreach to Agricultural Community (Gant Daily) -- The Department of Environmental Protection today announced the award of more than $2.6 million in grant awards to 36 conservation districts within the Chesapeake Bay Watershed.

http://gantdaily.com/2011/07/12/pennsylvania-dep-announces-2-6-million-in-conservation-district-grants-for-increased-outreach-to-agricultural-community/

7/12/11 Keeping water clean (Sun Gazette) -- Local students are learning the importance of water quality for drinking, farming, fishing and recreation during summer internships with Lycoming College's Clean Water Institute (CWI). http://www.sungazette.com/page/content.detail/id/566165/Keeping-water-clean.html?nav=5011

7/12/11 Maryland nearing 2-year bay pollution goals (wetmtv.com) -- Maryland has almost reached its two-year milestones for cutting two key Chesapeake Bay pollutants. http://www.wetmtv.com/news/local/story/Maryland-nearing-2-year-bay-pollution-goals/MZ65aKWOBUOG2-pGu2VYWg.cspx

7/13/11 D-Day coming for city sewage (The Express) -- Bids to build a new and very costly sewage treatment plant to continue to protect the Chesapeake Bay will be opened at 4 p.m. Monday, July 18. http://www.lockhaven.com/page/content.detail/id/532743/D-Day-coming-for-city-sewage.html?nav=5009

7/13/11 Companies present ideas to help clean up the Chesapeake Bay, TBD View Clip

7/13/11 Is It Illegal to Restore the Bay?, Edgewater-Davidsonville Patch View Clip

7/15/11 State will offer advice and a helping hand to farmers (Times Leader) -- Area farmers soon will be getting friendly visits from an official with the Luzerne Conservation District about their erosion and sediment control and manure management practices. The state Department of Environmental Protection recently announced $2.6 million in grants to the state’s 36 conservation districts in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed for “increased outreach to the agricultural community.” http://www.timesleader.com/news/State_will_offer_advice_and_a_helping_hand_to_farmers_07-14-2011.html

7/15/11 Marcellus firm retires lampooned 'friendly fracosaurus'(Phila. Inquirer) -- Talisman Terry, the "friendly fracosaurus," is kaput. Talisman Energy USA Inc., the natural gas producer active in Pennsylvania's Marcellus Shale, has discontinued distribution of its dinosaur-themed coloring book that became a nationwide object of ridicule after comedian Stephen Colbert lampooned it Monday on his Comedy Central show.

http://articles.philly.com/2011-07-14/news/29773523_1_coloring-book-natural-gas-pennsylvania-s-marcellus-shale

7/15/11 Low flow causes suspension of water-take from river, Pine Creek (The Express) -- The ongoing lack of rain in Clinton and some surrounding counties is causing the water level of area streams to fall, affecting some natural gas companies needing water to fracture their Marcellus Shale wells to produce gas.

http://www.lockhaven.com/page/content.detail/id/532755/Low-flow-causes-suspension-of-water-take-from-river--Pine-Creek.html?nav=5009

7/18/11 Growing Greener must not be allowed to die on the vine (Daily Review) -- European settlers of the New World were astonished by the natural bounty they found. Pennsylvania's very name invokes the wonders that William Penn encountered upon landing in 1682.

http://thedailyreview.com/opinion/growing-greener-must-not-be-allowed-to-die-on-the-vine-1.1176077

WATER SHED

2011-06-30T07:13:00.000-07:00

June happenings from around the Bay watershed -

6/13/2011 Bernie Fowler Sees His Sneakers through 31.25 Inches of Water at Annual Patuxent River Wade-in, Chesapeake Bay Program

6/14/2011 Scientists Predict Moderate to Poor Oxygen Levels in Chesapeake Bay for Early Summer, Chesapeake Bay Program

06/17/2011 Chessie Mystery Solved, It Is a Big Algae Mat, Edgewater-Davidsonville Patch View Clip

06/17/2011 Reel Report: Spot fishing is anything but spotty, The Gazette Online View Clip

06/18/2011 Coastal Bays Receive 'C' Grade, WBOC-TV – Online View Clip

06/18/2011 Watershed Stewards Academy seeks eco-conscious residents, The Capital Online View Clip

06/19/2011 Chesapeake Crab Population Continues Recovery, Heartland Institute View Clip

06/19/2011 Young oysters flourishing in local 'ranches', The Star Democrat Online View Clip

06/20/2011 Online Guide Helps Homeowners Choose Chesapeake Bay Native Plants, Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay

06/20/2011 Going to the goats, Southern Maryland Newspapers Online, View Clip

6/24/2011 Federal Government Pledges to Revitalize Anacostia, Patapsco Rivers Through New Partnership, Chesapeake Bay Program

06/24/2011 Cutting Bay funding will cost more in the long run, The Express Online View Clip

06/24/2011 Lessons in ecology - and life - on the Bay, Baltimore Sun – Online View Clip

06/27/2011 VA to host meeting on Chesapeake Bay issues, WTVR-TV – Online View Clip

06/27/2011 Disease-resistant oysters call for shift in Bay restoration strategies, e! Science News View Clip

06/27/2011 Our Winter of Discontent, Salt Water Sportsman – Online View Clip

06/27/2011 Near-record runoff washes salt from Upper Chesapeake, Baltimore Sun - Online View Clip

06/27/2011 Upper Chesapeake Bay sees low salinity levels, AllVoices View Clip

06/28/2011 What is so Critical about the Critical Area? Pasadena Patch View Clip

6/28/11 Home builders group sues EPA over new Chesapeake Bay pollution regulations, Penn Live Online http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2011/06/home_builders_group_sues_epa_o.html

6/29/2011 Phase 2 of Chesapeake Bay Cleanup To Have Local Focus, WAMU (D.C.) Radio

When it rains, it pours

2011-06-15T05:03:00.000-07:00

6/3/11 PA DEP Challenges EPA's Approach To Chesapeake Bay Stormwater Regulation
In a letter to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on May 26, the PA Department of Environmental Protection expressed concerns about EPA's approach requiring stormwater controls in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, saying the $5.3 billion estimated cost is "extraordinary" given stormwater's contribution of only 6 percent of the nutrient load to the Bay.
Press Release

Headlines from Around the Bay

2011-06-13T11:21:00.000-07:00

06/06/2011 More than just blue crabs in the Chesapeake Bay WTOP-FM View Clip

06/03/2011 Chesapeake Bay Oyster Farms WRC-TV – Online View Clip

06/03/2011 Do Chesapeake Bay blue crabs need oysters? Daily Press - Online,The View Clip

06/03/2011 Maryland blue crab population rebounding BizJournals.com View Clip

060111 For the Bay: Precision Feeding now Extends to Beef Cattle in PA Gant Daily http://gantdaily.com/2011/06/01/for-the-bay-precision-feeding-now-extends-to-beef-cattle-in-pa/

06/01/2011 Bay's health took a turn for the worse in 2010 Bay Journal – Online View Clip

06/01/2011 Report says tracking of Bay cleanup efforts needs to be improved Bay Journal – Online View Clip

06/01/2011 We need to see the Chesapeake beyond its water quality issues Bay Journal – Online View Clip

05/31/2011 Innovative Seed Treatment May Help Save Chesapeake Bay Grasses Edgewater-Davidsonville Patch View Clip

05/27/11 Water stewards of the future Evening Sun http://www.eveningsun.com/localnews/ci_18130667?source=email

05/27/2011 Save the bay even though it makes state look weird Baltimore Sun – Online View Clip

05/25/2011 Chesapeake Bay Foundation fighting back in court Daily Record - Online, The View Clip

05/25/2011 Green groups seek to defend Bay pollution diet B'More Green View Clip

05/19/2011 Young scientists out to save the bay: lives Projects carry two to international contest Southern Maryland Newspapers Online View Clip

05/18/2011 Cheseapke's health depends on weather WJLA-TV – Online View Clip

05/17/2011 How weather affects the health of the Chesapeake Bay WJLA-TV View Clip

05/11/2011 Chesapeake crab assessment expected this summer, review and dredge survey to guide harvest Daily Press - Online, The View Clip

05/10/2011 More bay woes: Pollution high, stream health poor Capital - Online, The View Clip

05/09/2011 Still not serious about bay clean-up Baltimore Sun View Clip

05/07/2011 Closing the bay stewardship gap Capital - Online, The View Clip

05/07/2011 Our Bay: Plant trees, shrubs, perennials to help the bay Capital - Online, The View Clip

05/07/2011 Smithsonian builds new lab Capital - Online, The View Clip

05/06/2011 State lawmakers seek federal Bay cleanup help B'More Green View Clip

05/05/2011 A restored Bay is more than just clean water Bay Journal – Online View Clip

05/05/2011 Report: Federal bay cleanup plan needs tightening Capital - Online, The View Clip

04/30/2011 Report: Chesapeake Bay plan price tag $10 billion BizJournals.com View Clip

04/28/2011 Are We Prepared to Live with a Healthy Bay? Greater Annapolis Patch View Clip

04/28/2011 Lawmakers urge renewal of Chesapeake Bay Program Washington Examiner View Clip

04/27/2011 Chesapeake Bay health declines a bit last year Baltimore Sun – Online View Clip

Bay Watershed Digest

2011-04-27T12:38:00.000-07:00

Underwater Grasses Decrease Dramatically In Mid-Bay, 04/25/2011, TheBayNet.com, View Clip

Chesapeake Bay grasses decline, new report says, 04/25/2011, Baltimore Sun – Online, View Clip

Underwater Grasses Decrease Dramatically In Mid-Bay, 04/26/2011, Baynet.com, The, View Clip

Legislators miss the boat for the bay, 04/23/2011, Capital - Online, The, View Clip

Legislator in Muncy talks anti-pollution requirements for Chesapeake watershed (Sun Gazette) --People attending a meeting hosted by state Rep. Garth Everett, R-Muncy, to discuss the Chesapeake Bay cleanup wanted to know when the financial burden will ease for local communities faced with helping fund it., 4/22/2011, Sun Gazette, http://www.sungazette.com/page/content.detail/id/563057/Legislator-in-Muncy-talks-anti-pollution-requirements-for-Chesapeake-watershed.html?nav=5011

Chesapeake Bay grasses decline, water temps blamed, 04/21/2011, WWBT-TV – Online, View Clip

Chesapeake Bay grasses decline, water temps blamed, 04/21/2011, WVVA-TV – Online, View Clip

Chesapeake Bay grasses decline, water temps blamed, 04/21/2011, WVEC-TV – Online, View Clip

Chesapeake Bay grasses decline, water temps blamed, 04/21/2011, WVBT-TV – Online, View Clip

Chesapeake Bay Grasses Decline, Water Temps Blamed, 04/21/2011, WUSA-TV – Online, View Clip

Chesapeake Bay Grasses Decline, Water Temps Blamed, 04/21/2011, WJTV-TV – Online, View Clip

Chesapeake Bay Grasses Decline, Water Temps Blamed, 04/21/2011, WBOC-TV – Online, View Clip

Bay Grasses Decline; Water Temps Blamed, 04/21/2011, WBAL-TV – Online, View Clip

Chesapeake Bay grasses decline, water temps blamed, 04/21/2011, WAVY-TV – Online, View Clip

Aerial survey: Chesapeake Bay grasses in decline, 04/21/2011, Virginian-Pilot – Online, View Clip

Chesapeake Bay grasses decline, water temps blamed, 04/21/2011, Republic - Online, The, View Clip

Chesapeake Bay grasses decline, water temps blamed, 04/21/2011, News-Times - Online, The, View Clip

MARYLAND: Chesapeake Bay grasses decline, water temps blamed, 04/21/2011, Daily Times - Online, The, View Clip

Chesapeake Bay grasses decline, water temps blamed, 04/21/2011, Daily Record - Online, The, View Clip

Chesapeake Bay Grasses Decline, Water Temperatures Blamed, 04/21/2011, CBS Baltimore, View Clip

Bay Grasses Decline; Water Temps Blamed, 04/21/2011, BaltimoreNews.net, View Clip

Chesapeake Bay grasses decline, water temps blamed, 04/21/2011, Associated Press (AP) - Richmond Bureau, Text

Chesapeake Bay grasses decline, water temps blamed, 04/21/2011, Associated Press (AP) - Dover Bureau, Text

Chesapeake Bay grasses decline, water temps blamed, 04/21/2011, Associated Press (AP), Text

Chesapeake Bay grasses decline, water temps blamed, 04/21/2011, AP Alert - DC Daybook, Text

Chesapeake Bay grasses decline, water temps blamed, 04/22/2011, WBFF-TV – Online, View Clip

Chesapeake Bay grasses decline, water temps blamed, 04/22/2011, Times Union, View Clip

Chesapeake Bay grasses decline; water temperatures blamed, 04/22/2011, Richmond Times-Dispatch – Online, View Clip

Chesapeake Bay grasses decline, water temperatures blamed, 04/22/2011, Lancaster Online, View Clip

Chesapeake Bay grasses decline, new report says, 04/22/2011, Baltimore Sun – Online, View Clip

Chesapeake Bay Program to release bay grass data, 04/20/2011, Pennlive.com, View Clip

Residents in Fairview, Lower Allen townships surprised by rapid flooding along Yellow Breeches Creek (Patriot News) -- Neighbors of the Yellow Breeches Creek in Fairview and Lower Allen townships did not expect the flooding overnight Saturday. 4/21/2011, Pennlive.com, http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2011/04/residents_in_fairview_lower_al.html

A water walk for awareness (River Reporter) -- A beautiful vessel holding water from Buttermilk Falls in New York’s Catskill Mountains will be borne by five women on a 90-mile trek beginning at the Neversink Reservoir near Liberty, NY and concluding at Salt Springs State Park in Susquehanna County, PA. The women will walk 15 miles daily to accomplish their mission to raise awareness of the sacredness of the water and the land upon which life depends. 4/15/2011, River Reporter Online, http://www.riverreporteronline.com/news/14/2011/04/12/water-walk-awareness

Webb, Warner introduce Bay-restoration bill, 04/12/2011, Augusta Free Press, The, View Clip

Four Penn State Water-quality Projects Honored by USDA (Gant Daily) -- The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Water Program has selected four clean-water projects initiated by Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences as Regional Projects of Excellence for the mid-Atlantic region. 4/12/2011, Grant Daily, http://gantdaily.com/2011/04/09/four-penn-state-water-quality-projects-honored-by-usda/

Continuing Resolution Threatens Progress in Chesapeake Bay Cleanup, 04/06/2011, National Wildlife, View Clip

What was behind HRPDC's threat to the EPA? 04/05/2011, Daily Press - Online, The, View Clip

The Chesapeake Bay Watershed: The One and the Many, 04/05/2011, Care2 News Network, View Clip

Letter Protests Goodlatte's Attempts to Keep Federal Funding from Bay Cleanup, 04/05/2011, WHSV-TV-Online, View Clip

Current Bay-Restoration Effort Dealing With Centuries-Old Land Uses, 04/05/2011, Greater Annapolis Patch, View Clip

2 former Md. Govs., GOP Rep. oppose EPA bay rider, 04/05/2011, Republic - Online, The, View Clip

Representative plans talk about Chesapeake Bay (Sun Gazette) -- An opportunity to learn how purifying the Chesapeake Bay continues to affect local residents will be offered by a speaker knowledgeable about the ongoing efforts. 4/4/2011, sun Gazette, http://www.sungazette.com/page/content.detail/id/562220/Representative-plans-talk-about-Chesapeake-Bay.html?nav=5011

Cleaner Woods And Streams Mean A Cleaner Bay, 03/31/2011, CBS Baltimore, View Clip

Chesapeake cited for sediment in Galeton’s water supply (Wellsboro Gazette) -- Development of a well site in West Branch Township led to an erosion problem last Thursday that resulted in the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) issuing a cease-work order to Chesapeake Energy. DEP Northcentral Regional Director Nels Taber said “a significant amount of sediment and silt was discharged from the site into a stream that is a tributary to a water source serving Galeton’s system.”, 3/31/11, Wellsboro Gazette, http://www.tiogapublishing.com/articles/2011/03/30/free_press_courier/doc4d937686a9ffe719868176.txt

Stream assessment topic of Trout Unlimited meeting (Sun Gazette) -- The initiative to assess the water quality of unassessed streams in Pennsylvania will be discussed at a meeting of the Susquehanna Chapter of Trout Unlimited. 3/31/11, Sun Gazette

http://www.sungazette.com/page/content.detail/id/562181/Stream-assessment-topic-of-Trout-Unlimited-meeting.html?nav=5011

Lawns are adding to Chesapeake Bay pollution, study says, 03/29/2011, Washington Post, View Clip

Senator Cardin Joins MD Environment Community to Curb Urban Fertilizer Pollution in Bay Watershed,

03/29/2011, WaterWorld, View Clip

Chesapeake advocates target lawn fertilizer, 03/29/2011, Daily Record - Online, The, View Clip

Sediment floods Chesapeake Bay when it pours, 03/30/2011 Baltimore Sun View Clip

Cardin urges careful fertilizer use on lawns, 03/29/2011, Capital - Online, The View Clip

Chesapeake Bay Digest

2011-03-25T12:20:00.000-07:00

Heavy rains, melting snow taking toll on Chesapeake Bay water clarity, threaten bay grasses 03/23/2011 Daily Press - Online, The View Clip

Heavy Rainstorms Flood Chesapeake Bay with Nutrient, Sediment Pollution 03/23/2011 Chesapeake Bay Program View Clip

Maryland's conservation practices protecting Bay 03/23/2011 Southeast Farm Press View Clip

Poultry industry helping, not hurting Chesapeake Bay 03/23/2011 News Leader, The View Clip

Proposal loosens critical area rules 03/23/2011 Calvert Recorder - Online, The View Clip

SALISBURY: Alliance For The Chesapeake Bay receives $20,000 grant from Perdue 03/23/2011 Daily Times - Online, The View Clip

Snow and Heavy Rain Taking Toll on Bay Water Quality 03/23/2011 WHSV-TV – Online View Clip

TMDL regulations could impact agriculture 03/23/2011 Wellsboro Gazette

http://www.tiogapublishing.com/articles/2011/03/23/news/doc4d8a4760adbb0106335497.txt

Scientists endorse bay pollution model

2010-12-07T13:07:00.000-08:00

DailyPress Online - Leaders at three institutions of higher learning, including the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, are defending the computer models used by federal regulators to create a Chesapeake Bay "pollution diet." In an Oct. 8 letter to the Environmental Protection Agency, the academics wrote the "consensus of the scientific community" is that the models are "both useful and adequate" in guiding policy decisions for the 64,000-square-mile bay watershed. The letter is signed by John Wells, (pictured above) dean and director at VIMS, Donald Boesch, president of the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, and Denice Wardrop, chair of Pennsylvania State University's scientific and technical advisory committee. All three institutions have contributed research to the EPA-led effort. Source: DailyPress online

http://weblogs.dailypress.com/news/science/dead_rise/2010/11/scientists_endorse_bay_polluti.html

EPA to evaluate five plans to clean up Chesapeake

2010-12-07T13:05:00.001-08:00

Washington Post Online – The Environmental Protection Agency will take a month to evaluate plans from four states and the District that show how they'll aggressively reduce pollution that flows into the Chesapeake Bay. Plans of Virginia, West Virginia, Pennsylvania and Delaware, and the District, which filed on time Nov. 29, 2010. The states were required to show in detail what they will do to aggressively reduce wastewater runoff in the next 15 years. The EPA will decide on the adequacy of the Watershed Implementation Plans by Dec. 31. The EPA has threatened to recommend sanctions against the states if their plans are inadequate. The sanctions include redirecting federal funds for other state projects to water quality programs and opposing state permits to developers. Pennsylvania's plan would hire workers who would show farmers how to limit runoff, something the foundation likes. But they didn't commit enough funding for their plan. The plan also doesn't commit enough resources to limiting wastewater runoff from Marcellus shale drilling into the Susquehanna River. Pennsylvania's Department of Environmental Protection, said the plan commits $15 million a year to cleaning the bay. The state wants to focus its resources on the source of more than 80 percent of its bay pollution – agriculture. Storm water is just 6 percent of the problem. We could spend all our resources on storm water and get very little in terms of total pollution reduction.

The Bay Today

2010-08-13T19:08:00.000-07:00

Although most of the attention on Congress over the past two years has been focused on major legislation like health care and financial reform, a number of bills that could impact the water industry have been struggling through the legislative process. Given that Congress is on recess in August and will likely be focused on re-election this fall, most of the more than 90 pieces of legislation that have a water component will fall by the wayside. Reauthorization of the State Revolving Fund programs for drinking water and wastewater appeared to have at least a chance of passage.

The House has already passed the Water Quality Financing Act of 2009. Also, the Energy and Commerce Committee has moved legislation to reauthorize the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund out of their committee. The Senate has also moved legislation to reauthorize both the Clean Water SRF and the Drinking Water SRF out of the Environmental and Public Works Committee. Still, the path from committee approval to actually being signed into law is both long and difficult -- especially in an election year.

Also related to water infrastructure funding, a congressional briefing was held in late July to discuss the need for a Clean Water Trust Fund to protect sources of drinking water and fragile watersheds. The briefing focused on why a Clean Water Trust Fund, outlined by Rep. Earl Blumenauer of Oregon in the Water Protection and Reinvestment Act (HR 3202), is needed to fund the nation's water infrastructure and water quality challenges.

Another measure that has seen action recently was The Chesapeake Clean Water and Ecosystem Restoration Act (S. 1816), authored by Benjamin L. Cardin (D-MD), Chairman of the Senate Water and Wildlife Subcommittee. It was approved June 30 by a voice vote in the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee after significant concessions were made to Republican opponents.

Health officials are taking the unusual step of reminding Marylanders that they can get sick by swimming at local beaches and eating raw seafood. The concern is the vibrio bacteria, which is rare but can cause serious complications. The bacteria thrives in hot weather, and health officials are issuing the warning as the Chesapeake Bay region suffers through yet another heat wave. "We thought it would be helpful to let people know the steps they can take," said Frances B. Phillips, a deputy state health secretary for public health.

Crabs in the Chesapeake Bay this year are plentiful, and Maryland Department of Natural Resources officials said it's turning out to be the best year since the 1990s. "We've had a 60 percent increase in crabs this past year," said DNR spokesman Thomas O'Connell.Crabbers said the current crop is plentiful and tasty.

Somerset County watermen are protesting a state plan to create oyster sanctuaries in the Manokin and Nanticoke rivers -- a measure that would ban them from working the productive oyster bottoms."It's one of the areas where we can finally make a living on," said Danny Webster of Deal Island. "It's frustrating." The two rivers were not originally set aside as sanctuaries under an oyster restoration plan announced by Gov. Martin O'Malley in December, but were created to take the place of one near Smith Island, said Frank Dawson, an assistant secretary of the state Department of Natural Resources.

When the plan was introduced, watermen objected to the sanctuary proposed for the highly productive area near the island, so DNR officials swapped it for areas in the Manokin and Nanticoke, Dawson said. But at a recent public hearing on the state oyster plan, some watermen expressed interest in going back to the original proposal to place the sanctuary in the Tangier Sound, he said. DNR officials are open to going back to the original proposal for a sanctuary off Smith Island, if that's what watermen want, said Tom O'Connell, DNR's director of fisheries.

Since January, DNR has held public meetings throughout the state to gather input from watermen and other stakeholders on the plan, which uses a three-prong approach for oyster restoration in the Chesapeake Bay. In addition to creating sanctuaries, the plan includes opening part of the bay for commercial aquaculture and maintaining 167,720 acres of oyster bars for harvest by watermen.

In the lull between passing downpours, it is raining oyster shells in St. Mary's County. And those doing much of the work are prison inmates who are finishing up their time in a nearby pre-release facility. "The only thought I ever gave to oysters was eating them," said Orsie Hayes-El, inmate. At a state hatchery at Piney Point, inmates have helped clean old shells. And in the lab, biologists have raised microscopic oyster larvae, which go into the tanks and set as spat on the shells. "I really didn't know nothing about an oyster until I came out here, you know the spat and all that stuff, how they stick to the shells, and it's really amazing," said David Alfaro, inmate. Besides working with oysters, Maryland inmates have also been taking on other environmental jobs like planting trees and marsh grasses for wetlands.

Two USDA scientists have created new maps of Chesapeake Bay forested wetlands that are about 30 percent more accurate than existing maps. ARS soil scientists and USDA ecologists did this by merging two remote sensing devices: an airborne LiDAR (light detection and ranging) laser sensor with an advanced "synthetic aperture radar" (SAR) satellite sensor. Wetlands are critical to the health of bodies of water like the Chesapeake Bay. But many wetlands are forested, and it can be hard to see the wetlands on aerial photography because the view is blocked by the trees. Also, maps drawn from aerial photographs are subjective, causing more loss of accuracy. With the combined data from the two types of remote sensing devices, the scientists can see whether water flows without filtration into the Bay, or whether it flows first through a forested wetland that might filter out possible pollutants. The maps show previously unknown connections between some wetlands, drainage ditches, intermittent streams and ponds. Because forested wetlands had been thought to be isolated from each other and the Bay, the Clean Water Act did not offer them the same regulatory protections as other wetlands. The maps also show changes in wetlands caused by drainage ditches, other construction, farming and weather. The maps can be used to predict flooding and effects of climate change.

Earlier this week, thousands of juvenile menhaden died in Cobbs Creek, a tributary of the Piankatank River. Hundreds of lifeless croaker were spotted floating near the Bay Bridge-Tunnel. Scientists can't say for sure what the cause is. But they suspect it's a lack of oxygen, a condition created by decomposing algae, or mahogany tides. The algae covers significant parts of the lower Bay, a stretch from Norfolk to Mathews County and beyond.

Remember the telephone game? Most of us played this game as children. We sat in a circle and whispered a phrase into the ear of the person seated next to us — by the time the phrase made it around the circle, the result was so unrecognizable from the original that hysterical giggles ensued. But the game isn't so funny when adults unwittingly repeat what they've been told. It would be funny like the telephone game if the water quality in the Susquehanna River and the health of the Chesapeake Bay were not at stake.

What's Happening in Our Watersheds

2010-07-24T13:24:00.000-07:00

The heat is on again! Unseasonably warm weather is raising the temperature of streams across the Mid-Atlantic Region. Many of our cold water fisheries have been showing daytime and nighttime temps in the low 80s and 70s, respectively. Such high temperatures stresses cold water species fish. Native trees and shrubs in the riparian areas along our many small headwater streams helps reduce in-stream water temperature by 10-20 degrees F.

Rainfall has been down too. Here in central York County we had no significant rain (.0.10 inch) between mid-June and mid-July. On July 13 we had 3-5 inches in as many hours causing local flooding, bank erosion and sedimentation of many small streams.

Generally, dry summers affect water quality both here and in the Chesapeake Bay differently. During dry weather dissolved nitrogen and phosphorus levels in flowing headwater streams increases sometime causing algae blooms. In contrast to this, the Susquehanna River and Bay benefit from these low rainfall because of reduced suspended sediment and its transport.

WAY received word Friday that DEP executed its Growing Greener grant for the Pine Run restoration project, a tributary in the North Branch Muddy Creek. Muddy Creek Chapter of Trout Unlimited plans to stabilize up to 1700 linear feet of severely degraded stream, restore the riparian buffer, and fence cattle out of the stream. WAY is assisting MCTU as grant administrator.

WAY is also administering Growing Greener grant for restoration project on Hollow Run, East Branch Codorus Creek, and Violet Hill Tributary to the main steam of Codorus Creek, near York College. WAY is partnering with York County Parks and Recreation Department and York College for these projects, individually and separately.

Our partnering watershed organizations are reminded of the upcoming rounds of DEP's 319 NPS Program and Growing Greener Program grants due August 6 and September 1, respectively.

What's Happening in Pennsylvania's Watersheds

2010-06-30T07:57:00.000-07:00

Erosion and Sediment Control Rulemaking

The Department presented the final Chapter 102, Erosion and Sediment Control rulemaking to the Independent Regulatory Review Commission (IRRC) for consideration at their June 17, 2010 meeting, and it was approved. The House and Senate Environmental Standing Committees have requested an additional 14-days to review the package. If no action is taken by the Committees, the regulation could possibly be ready for publication in the Pa. Bulletin as final by mid-summer. If there are no significant hold ups it is anticipated that the new regulations will be in place starting January 1st, 2011.

PennVEST Non-Point Source Pollution Control Funding Program

Pennsylvania Infrastructure Investment Authority (PENNVEST) will seek input on the new NPS funding program. The program, which began in March 2010, represents a significant new source of funds (3.5 million) to address Federal Clean Water Act projects by providing loans and grants for a water pollution abatement projects addressing agricultural runoff, urban stormwater and abandoned mine drainage. Five NPS applications were received for the first round of grants. PENNVEST is looking for input and comments on this program to improve access to funds for NPS projects. Information on the program is available on the PENNVEST website at

http://www.pennvest.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/pennvest_internet/9242 .

A public meeting has been scheduled for July 20 at 1:30 p.m. in the 2nd floor training room , Rachel Carson State Office Building, 400 Market Street, Harrisburg, PA. This meeting is to receive comments regarding the set aside work plan and project ranking. Written comments will be accepted by the Division of Technical and Financial Assistance until July 26, 2010. A copy of the IUP’s and program information can be obtained by the Facilities Regulation home page on the DEP home page web site at www.depweb.state.pa.us. Written comments should be sent to the DEP, Bureau of Water Standards and facility Regulations, Division of Technical and Financial Assistance, 11th Floor, RCSOB, 400 Market street, Harrisburg, PA 17101.

Resource Enhancement and Protection (REAP)

The FY 10-11 REAP tax credit program guidelines and application are now available on the State Conservation Commission website (www.agriculture.state.pa.us) . Applications which were received last year, and not funded, will be considered prior to the Commission considering new applications for FY 10-11. Applicants from last year have been notified by the Commission, and have until July 16 to “reactivate” last year’s application. New applications will be accepted by the Commission beginning August 2, 2010. Approval decisions on all REAP applications for FY 2010-11 are contingent upon the REAP allocation in the completed FY 10-11 state budget. Applicants that did receive funding are reminded that all BMPs installed compliant to the contract and Program requirements need to submit paperwork that the BMP meets NRCS standards verified by the appropriate signature. For additional information, contact Mary Bender, State Conservation Commission at 717-787-8821 or mabender@state.pa.us

Post-Construction Stormwater Management

The 102/105/NPDES Post-Construction Stormwater Management Advisory Work Group, consisting of representation from 12 conservation districts, PACD, DEP and the Commission will be working together to improve these programs. One of there first efforts will be to develop options for the collection and distribution of fees under the revised Chapter 102 Regulations. The next meeting of the group is August 6th.

Pennsylvania’s Proposed Chesapeake Bay Agricultural Water Quality Initiative

The Department is in the process of developing a “Pennsylvania Proposed Chesapeake Bay Agricultural Water Quality Initiative. A draft document has been provided to both the DEP Work Group for the Chesapeake Bay Agricultural Watershed Improvement Plan (AG WIP) and to the DEP Agricultural Advisory Board (AAB) with a request for comments on the proposed draft. To see a copy of the draft, do to the AAB website at http://www.dep.state.pa.us (select Public Participation, then select Advisory Committees).

Chesapeake Bay Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL)

EPA is establishing a federal Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) for nutrients and sediment for the Chesapeake Bay and its tidal tributaries. Under a Virginia consent decree, the Chesapeake Bay TMDL must be established no later than May 1, 2011. EPA has committed to completing the TMDL by December 2010.

Although EPA is developing the TMDL, states are preparing Watershed Implementation Plans (WIPs). The WIP concept is similar to the basic idea behind the Tributary Strategies that were developed in the past, but important differences exist. For example, EPA has issued detailed guidance on what they expect the WIPs to look like, and are asking that the WIPs contain mechanisms such as regulations or funding programs that will help obtain the goals of the plan. EPA is expecting the states to submit draft WIPs late this summer, around August 23rd. Public meetings will be held in the fall, tentatively the week of October 17th.

PA will build its WIP on a 3-prong approach that has already shown success: 1) Milestone Implementation & Tracking; 2) Technology and Nutrient Trading; and 3) Compliance. Because the document will cover a number of topics, DEP will work with the the Chesapeake Bay Advisory Committee (CBAC), and has convened a Chesapeake Watershed Implementation Plan Management Team to help guide PA WIP development. The structure for the Team is similar to the 2006 Chesapeake Bay Tributary Strategy Steering Committee. Members include representatives of agriculture, wastewater, development, municipalities, and environmental organizations. Three workgroupos have also been established: Wastewater Workgroup; Urban/Suburban/Rural Workgroup; and an Agriculture Workgroup.

Two helpful websites, for more information:

http://www.epa.gov/reg3wapd/tmdl/ChesapeakeBay/index.html .

http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/chesapeake_bay_program/10513

Chesapeake Bay Gets “C” on Latest Annual Report Card

2010-06-01T11:28:00.000-07:00

The health of the Chesapeake Bay improved last year to its highest level since 2002, according to the latest annual report card released by the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science (UMCES), which gave the Bay a health grade of C.

The 2009 report card notes improved conditions in eight regions of the Bay and continued degraded conditions in two regions. Grades for 14 individual regions were averaged together for an overall Bay health grade of C.

The highest-ranked region for the third year in a row was a B-minus on the upper western shore of Maryland, which includes the Bush and Gunpowder rivers. The Upper Bay Region which includes the Susquehanna River received a C+. The lowest-ranked region was the Patapsco and Back rivers, which received an F.

Scientists attribute the health improvements to last year’s unique regional rainfall patterns, continued efforts to reduce nutrient pollution, and the gradual rebound in Bay health since historically poor conditions observed in 2003.

“Despite the record high rainfall in parts of Maryland and Virginia, the mainstem of the Chesapeake Bay improved last year,” said UMCES researcher and project leader Dr. William Dennison. “Normally, more precipitation means poorer Bay health. But last year, the Bay benefited from below average rainfall throughout Pennsylvania which appears to have reduced the amount of pollutants reaching the open waters of the mainstem Bay.”

In 2009, SRBC announced findings from four separate river monitoring programs providing biological and water quality data used to assess streams and rivers and identify changes in stream health over time. For water quality conditions, only 6.9 percent of the values exceeded their respective limits, indicating fairly good water quality in the Susquehanna River. In PA-MD streams, nutrients continue to be the biggest concern.

Over the report card's 24-year history, Bay health was rated at its highest in 1993 with a score of 57, and it lowest in 2003 with a score of 35. The 2009 rating of 46 falls in the top 25 percentile.

An encouraging sign in the Bay’s health has been an improvement in water clarity over the past two to three years. There was a 12 percent increase in water clarity in 2009. The most dramatic improvements were in the middle regions of the Bay, including the Bay’s mainstem and the Choptank, Potomac and Rappahannock rivers. However, the reporting regions with chronically poor water clarity – the Patapsco and Back rivers, Maryland’s lower western shore, and the York and Elizabeth rivers – still had muddy, turbid water.

The Chesapeake Bay Report Card is an annual analysis conducted through the EcoCheck partnership between UMCES and the NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office using data collected by Bay Program partners.

For more information about the 2009 Chesapeake Bay Report Card, including maps, charts and data, visit the Chesapeake Eco-Check website www.eco-check.org/reportcard/chesapeake/2009/.

EPA Releases Land Management Guidance to Reduce Water Pollution to Chesapeake Bay

2010-05-26T10:32:00.000-07:00

On the same day the federal government announced a comprehensive strategy to protect and restore the Chesapeake Bay, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced guidance to help federal facilities reduce their pollution to the bay. EPA is delivering to federal land managers in the Chesapeake Bay watershed the most effective tools and practices to reduce water pollution from a variety of nonpoint sources, including agricultural lands, urban and suburban areas and septic systems. This guidance to provide the technical tools that will be needed to restore the bay is in response to the Chesapeake Bay executive order issued by President Obama in May 2009.

The guidance provides federal land managers with the help they need to implement the best proven tools and practices to restore and protect the region’s waterways and the bay. This guidance presents the most effective tools and practices to address nonpoint source pollution that is currently contributing nutrients and sediments from federal land management activity in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. This guidance, organized in six chapters by category of activity, and they are:

Agriculture – Best management practices can implement practices based on source, in-field and edge of field controls to protect water quality.

Riparian Area Management – Riparian areas are the natural buffers between uplands and adjacent waterbodies.

Urban and Suburban Areas – Development incorporating watershed planning, smart growth, low-impact designs and practices, and retrofits is critical to protect the Bay from urban and suburban runoff.

Decentralized Wastewater Systems – Septic systems serve millions of homes in the Bay watershed, adding ~12.5 million pounds of nitrogen to the Bay each year.

Forestry – Well-managed forests are the most beneficial land use for clean water. Large areas of healthy forest and streamside forests are essential to keeping nutrient and sediment pollution out of the rivers and Bay.

Hydromodification – The term hydromodification refers to the alteration of the hydrologic characteristics of waterbodies, which in turn could cause degradation of water resources.

The cost-effective tools and practices outlined in the document are indicated by current scientific and technical literature to be the most state-of-the-art approaches to reduce water pollution from nitrogen, phosphorus and sediment.

The same techniques can be utilized by states, local governments, conservation districts, watershed organizations, developers, farmers and citizens in the Chesapeake Bay watershed.

To view the guidance: http://www.epa.gov/nps/chesbay502/.

The new federal strategy for the Chesapeake

2010-05-18T11:30:00.000-07:00

It’s raining here today in York, Pennsylvania. I’m reading with interest the new federal strategy for the Chesapeake region. It focuses on protecting and restoring the environment in communities throughout the 64,000-square-mile watershed and in its thousands of streams, creeks and rivers.

The strategy includes using rigorous regulations to restore clean water, implementing new conservation practices on 4 million acres of farms, conserving 2 million acres of undeveloped land and rebuilding oysters in 20 tributaries of the bay. To increase accountability, federal agencies will establish milestones every two years for actions to make progress toward measurable environmental goals. These will support and complement the states’ two-year milestones.

The “Strategy for Protecting and Restoring the Chesapeake Bay Watershed” was developed under the executive order issued by President Obama in May 2009, which declared the Chesapeake Bay a national treasure and ushered in a new era of shared federal leadership, action and accountability.

The strategy deepens the federal commitment to the Chesapeake region, with agencies dedicating unprecedented resources, targeting actions where they can have the most impact, ensuring that federal lands and facilities lead by example in environmental stewardship and taking a comprehensive, ecosystem-wide approach to restoration. Many of the federal actions will directly support restoration efforts of local governments, nonprofit groups and citizens and provide economic benefits across the Chesapeake region.

To restore clean water, EPA will implement the Chesapeake total maximum daily load (a pollution diet for the Chesapeake Bay and local waterways), expand regulation of urban and suburban stormwater and concentrated animal feeding operations and increase enforcement activities and funding for state regulatory programs.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will provide farmers and forest owners throughout the bay watershed with the resources to prevent soil erosion and keep nitrogen and phosphorous out of local waterways. USDA will target federal funding to the places where it will have the greatest water quality impact and ensure that agricultural producers’ conservation efforts are accurately reported. USDA will also lead a federal initiative to develop a watershed-wide environmental services market that would allow producers to generate tradable water quality credits in return for installing effective conservation practices.

Conserving 2 million acres of natural areas, forests and farmland preserves the environmental, recreational, cultural and economic benefits these lands provide. To protect priority lands, the Department of the Interior will launch a collaborative Chesapeake Treasured Landscape Initiative and expand land conservation by coordinating federal funding and providing community assistance. Interior will also develop a plan for increasing public access to the bay and its rivers.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will launch a bay-wide oyster restoration strategy in close collaboration with Maryland and Virginia that focuses on priority tributaries expands commercial aquaculture and bolsters research on oyster stock, habitat and restoration progress. Oysters are among the bay’s most struggling species and restoration in 20 tributaries will yield great environmental and economic benefits.

Several overarching approaches in the strategy are also important.

o To accelerate the pace of restoration and protection, many actions occur in the next few years, and many of the actions are “on-the-ground” and “in-the-water” all around the Chesapeake watershed.

o The strategy is designed to directly support the restoration activities of local governments, watershed groups, county conservation districts, landowners and citizens.

o Many actions will provide economic benefits, including conservation of working farms, expanded oyster aquaculture, support for conservation corps programs and green jobs, and development of an environmental marketplace for selling, buying and trading credits for pollution reductions.

o Agencies will be aggressively targeting resources where they can have the most impact – areas with the most pollution and potential for runoff, with the highest potential for restoring fish and wildlife, and with habitats and lands most in need of protection.

I hope the strategy’s federal commitment to the Chesapeake region deepens, with agencies dedicating resources and targeting actions where they can have the most impact.

What is needed most are actions that will directly support restoration efforts of local governments, watershed groups and citizens, and provide economic benefits across York County, Pennsylvania, and beyond.

After all, what’s good for clean water in York County is good for the Bay. Don’t you agree? I’d like to hear from you.

2010-05-12T05:12:00.000-07:00

Bay Barometer

The Bay Program's 2009 Bay Barometer shows that the Bay continues to be degraded and illustrates a clear need to continue to accelerate restoration efforts across the region. The “Bay Barometer: A Health and Restoration Assessment of the Chesapeake Bay and Watershed” is the annual assessment of the Chesapeake Bay Program partnership's progress toward meeting its health and restoration goals.

Bay Barometer is divided into four distinct parts:

Bay Health, which provides information about the status of Bay water quality, habitats and lower food web, and fish and shellfish abundance.

Watershed Health, a summary of the health of freshwater streams throughout the Bay watershed and pollution trends in those streams.

Factors Impacting Bay and Watershed Health, which explains contributors to pollution in the Bay and its rivers.

Restoration and Protection Efforts, a summary of the Bay Program’s efforts to reduce pollution, restore habitats, manage fisheries, protect watersheds and foster stewardship.

Additionally, Bay Barometer includes sections on the health of freshwater streams and rivers throughout the 64,000-square-mile watershed, factors that affect the health of our waters, and what the 17 million residents of the Bay watershed can do to make a difference in the restoration effort.

Last year (2009) was indeed a banner year for the Chesapeake Bay in many ways.

At its annual meeting in May, the Chesapeake Executive Council began charting a new course for recovery of the Bay and its watershed by setting short-term goals to accelerate cleanup and increase accountability. Under these “milestones,” the six Bay watershed states and the District of Columbia will put actions into place to reduce a projected 15.8 million pounds of nitrogen and 1.1 million pounds of phosphorus by the end of 2011.

We also saw the beginning of a new era of federal leadership on the Chesapeake Bay with the signing of President Obama’s Executive Order on Chesapeake Bay Restoration and Protection. Eleven federal agencies are working together to reduce pollution to our waterways; restore fish, wildlife and habitats; conserve land; and expand public access.

And so we must keep moving on the path of forward-thinking actions and expansive involvement. These and other critical initiatives will help us continue marching toward our

restoration goals with each passing year. But we can’t do it alone.

I urge everybody reading this report to get involved today in restoring our Bay and its thousands of streams, creeks and rivers. Let’s all take the small steps listed on page 11 of this report to reduce pollution from our homes and backyards and make a difference in our communities. Most importantly, tell your friends and families that they, too, can bring positive change for the Bay by lending a hand to help restore and protect it.

To learn more about the ongoing efforts to restore and protect the Chesapeake Bay and its Watersheds, you may read and download the “Bay Barometer: A Health and Restoration Assessment of the Chesapeake Bay and Watershed in 2009” at

http://www.chesapeakebay.net/press_baybarometer2009.aspx?menuitem=50517

Also, I'd like to hear from you and what you think could/should be done to restore and protect the Watersheds of York County, Pennsylvania.