WATER SHED

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.