Hello,
readers! My name is Jen Quinn and I'm
PennFuture’s new Outreach Coordinator in central Pennsylvania. I will be focusing on water and Chesapeake
Bay issues including the Pennsylvania work of the Choose Clean Water Coalition
of the National Wildlife Federation. And, as you may have guessed, I will be blogging regularly about water
and other environmental issues.
On September 28, the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay hosted its 8th annual
Chesapeake Watershed Forum. Over 400
people were in attendance, representing state and federal agencies,
universities, and various NGOs from the six states that make up the Chesapeake
Bay watershed (Pennsylvania, New York, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia) and the District of Columbia. Presenters discussed multiple topics
including science and conservation, land use planning and regulation, and
advocacy and citizen engagement.
In a time when
divisiveness and political polarization is the norm, it was inspiring to see
hundreds of people working toward a shared goal: The protection and
restoration of the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries. This is no pie-in-the-sky goal -- it's absolutely achievable in our
lifetimes.
Over the past 30
years, federal, state, and local governments throughout the watershed, as well
as NGOs and academics, have been working to reduce the amounts of nutrients and
sediment making their way to the Bay. Thankfully, these efforts have had a positive
impact on the health of the Bay.
However, much more needs to be done.The Bay’s water quality remains degraded because of too much pollution. Current oyster populations are less than 1 percent of historic levels and the Bay’s habitats are so degraded they cannot support thriving populations of aquatic life. Increased development, insufficient management of polluted stormwater by our towns and cities, and polluted runoff from agricultural operations continue to harm the Bay ecosystem.
Even so, there's reason for optimism. Thanks to the new “pollution diet” for the Bay issued by the Environmental Protection Agency, we can truly address these problems. This pollution diet, technically referred to as a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL), limits the amount of nitrogen, phosphorous, and sediment that can enter the Bay. Implementing the pollution diet isn’t going to be easy but through continued cooperation between the state and federal governments, and local action by homeowners, farmers, NGOs, and municipalities, we can all enjoy cleaner water and a healthier and more productive Chesapeake Bay.
