Wildlife in Hot Water: Central PA Edition

This is the second in a multi-part series localizing the National Wildlife Federation’s (NWF) recent report, Wildlife in Hot Water: America’s

Waterways and Climate Change.

Our nation boasts majestic river systems like the Colorado, Mississippi, and - here in central Pennsylvania - the Susquehanna, but climate change threatens them all. The Susquehanna River Basin Commission studies the 27,510 square-mile watershed and its impact on roughly 4.1 million people within its focus area. According to the organization's latest "State of the Susquehanna" report, the basin is both "one of the most flood-prone areas in the entire nation" while experiencing declared emergency droughts 17 times in a 21 year period. 

Full Report: http://bit.ly/1iePwds 

Unfortunately, climate change compounds existing stress of pollution, dammed rivers, invasive species, disease, and destruction of forests and wetlands on our waterways. Some 147 freshwater fish species and populations are federally listed as threatened or endangered. An estimated 37 percent of all freshwater animals - from fish to crayfish to mussels - are considered at risk. The rate of aquatic species extinctions is five times higher than in terrestrial habitats, and climate change will place additional strain on the already highly-stressed freshwater aquatic life.

For many of us who spend time outdoors, we already know what climate change is doing to our waterways and wildlife. Here is a personal account from Pennsylvania resident Ed Perry on bass fishing in the Susquehanna from the NWF report:

"Up until 2005, then the hottest year on record, my family had been floating the middle Susquehanna for more than 25 years, camping on the islands, and wake fishing for smallmouth bass. But climate change has altered temperature and rainfall patterns, causing repeat kills of smallmouth bass in 100 miles of the middle Susquehanna River. The fishery has been devastated to the point that many guides gave quit taking anglers there and my family no longer takes these fishing trips that were such an important part of our outdoor experience." 

In an amendment to the Pennsylvania Wildlife Action Plan, written by Pennsylvania's Game Commission and the Fish and Boat Commission, it stated climate change could trigger substantial changes to fish and wildlife populations of the commonwealth, including, but not limited to:

• Migration of flora and fauna northward or to higher elevations in order to escape warming conditions;
• Decreased populations of freshwater and anadromous fish, like salmon and trout, due to reduced snowpack and increase temperatures in streams;
• Altered flooding patterns, which affect spawning and rearing habitat for many aquatic species;
• Increased spread of wildlife diseases and parasites.

Our nation and region's waterways are undoubtedly experiencing the negative impacts of climate change, but we all have the opportunity to lessen the risks posed to our waterways, wildlife, and their habitat. 

What you can do:
Support the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Clean Power Plan. The EPA is taking a step in the right direction by finalizing the Clean Power Plan. With the new standards, we expect immediate actions can and should be taken to help safeguard our communities and wildlife from the impacts of climate change.

Support the EPA's Clean Water Rule. Without these protections, at least 60% of our nation's streams and 20 million acres of wetlands are vulnerable to pollution.

Jen Quinn is central Pennsylvania outreach coordinator for PennFuture and is based in Harrisburg. She tweets @QuinnJen1.

Wildlife in Hot Water: Philadelphia Edition

This is the first in a multi-part series localizing the National Wildlife Federation's (NWF) recent report, Wildlife in Hot Water: America’s Waterways and Climate Change.

Last week, PennFuture joined the NWF in Scranton to release its new report, which examines the affects climate change is having on wildlife and the nation’s waterways. 

The report details the rapid changes to the Earth’s water cycle that are already having negative impacts on ecosystems. As a result of disruptive carbon pollution, these changes include earlier and more rapid snowmelt, fewer and more intense rainfall events, and more frequent and extreme droughts and floods. The very character, chemistry, and quality of our waterways are changing in some of the following ways: 

• Reduced dissolved oxygen levels in streams and lakes
• Loss of habitat for cold and cool water fish species as climate change is prompting warmer temperatures
• Loss of wetlands and reduced riparian/floodplain connectivity
• Loss of upstream/downstream connectivity caused by the drying of stream and river reaches
• Reduced extent, diversity, and quality of in-stream habitat for aquatic biota
• Increased pollutant concentrations from urban and agricultural runoff

These effects are already being felt throughout Pennsylvania. Last Wednesday, speakers at our press event discussed the negative effects of climate change on water and wildlife in the Lackawanna and Susquehanna Rivers. But northeast Pennsylvania isn’t the only region of the commonwealth feeling these effects. The City of Philadelphia, bordered by two tidal rivers, is particularly at risk to sea level rise and extreme weather events. 

Flooding on Kelly Drive in Philadelphia

Some findings concerning Philadelphia and climate change-related flooding:

• According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), nuisance flooding in Philadelphia – think road closures, overwhelmed storm drains, and infrastructure damage – has increased by 650 percent over the past 50 years. This significant increase is due to many factors, including climate-related sea level rise. NOAA concluded in its report that acceleration in sea level rise “will further intensify nuisance flooding impacts over time, and will further reduce the time between flood events.” 
• Sea levels in the Delaware Estuary have already risen by about a foot in the last century and experts expect to experience a rise of at last three more feet within ninety years.
• A report from the Union of Concerned Scientists projects that over the next thirty years tidal flooding events in Philadelphia will grow in frequency from 19 to 200 per year.
• The National Weather Service’s Sea, Lake, and Overland Surge from Hurricanes (SLOSH) model shows the that large sections of Philadelphia would be inundated if a Category 1 or 2 hurricane were to directly impact the region. In particular, southwest Philadelphia, which includes the Eastwick neighborhood as well as Philadelphia International Airport, would be particularly vulnerable to surge flooding where water levels would be higher than the elevation of the area. In an op-ed in Plan Philly’s Eyes on the Street blog, author Amy Laura Cahn shares that during Hurricane Floyd, “Eastwick’s slab-on-grade homes filled with six feet of water.” As a result, Eastwick residents have experienced spikes in the cost of flood insurance. 

Without climate action, it is expected that the rate of sea level rise will accelerate and extreme weather events will occur with greater frequency. Fortunately, there are many options for combating the causes of climate change while simultaneously preserving and protecting wildlife and the waterways they depend on, including: 

• Supporting the Clean Power Plan and reducing our carbon footprint: The Environment Protection Agency’s Clean Power Plan is an important step first step toward mitigating climate change. The plan presents opportunities to not only reduce carbon pollution from existing power plants, but to also invest in a zero-carbon, clean energy future. The commonwealth should expand upon its existing wind, solar, and energy efficiency programs to meet our reduction goals in a manner that is both cost-effective and emissions-neutral. 
• Encouraging Clean Water Act Protections: In order to better protect our wildlife and waters, support for the Clean Water Rule is essential. Without this rule, at least 60 percent of America’s streams and 20 million acres of wetlands would be left vulnerable to the destructive hands of industrial activities. 

In the coming weeks, we plan to share more region-specific stories that underscore the need to act on climate to protect our waterways and wildlife. Stay tuned!

Katie Bartolotta is southeastern Pennsylvania outreach coordinator for PennFuture and is based in Philadelphia. She tweets @KatieBartolotta.  

Rallying along the Lackawanna River for climate action

Rep. Matt Cartwright and NWF's Ed Perry

More than 50 citizens, conservation groups, and outdoor enthusiasts came out in force along Scranton's Lackawanna River on August 12 to support taking action on climate change as it impacts our waterways and wildlife across the country. The National Wildlife Federation (NWF) and PennFuture, with state and local partners, gathered at a press event for the release of Wildlife in Hot Water: Climate Change and America’s Waterways. This new NWF report highlighted how dramatic climate changes are putting our waterways at risk and what we must do to protect them. Rivers like the Lackawanna, seventeen miles of which is a Class A Wild Trout stream, are key economic and recreation drivers as well as natural treasures, as many of the speakers pointed out.


Speakers included U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright, 17th Congressional District; Natalie Gelb, executive director of Lackawanna Heritage Valley National and State Heritage Area; Bernie McGurl, executive director of the Lackawanna River Corridor Association; Dan Alters, Lycoming Audubon Society; Ed Perry, Pennsylvania outreach coordinator, National Wildlife Federation; and PennFuture Policy Director Matt Stepp.

Sen. Bob Casey's district director, Kristin Magnotta, was in attendance and supporters had the opportunity to thank the Senator for his recent statement on climate change. Representatives of other area groups included Lackawanna Trout Unlimited, SEEDS of Honesdale, Eastern Pennsylvania Coalition for Abandoned Mine Reclamation, North Pocono CARE, members of conservation and faith communities, and citizens from around northeast Pennsylvania.

What can you do? Our U.S. senators will be critical in determining the fate of the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Clean Power Plan to address climate change. Please call on Sens. Casey and Toomey to publicly support the final rule. Make your voice heard today!

It was a great day along the Lackawanna River Trail for clean air and water -- and special thanks to the Lackawanna Heritage Valley staff for all their assistance on the trail location!

Kate Gibbons is Northeastern Pennsylvania outreach coordinator and is based in Wilkes-Barre.

Clean water: Our most undervalued resource

Californians are presently dealing with an historic drought and, this summer, residents of Toledo, Ohio had to rely on bottled water because their drinking water supply was unsafe to consume due to toxic algae in Lake Erie. These events have begun to raise public awareness regarding the value of clean water, but does the price we pay for water really reflect its value?

From Ensia's piece, "Hey, America: It's time to talk about the price of water:"

Water is the most essential utility delivered to us each day, meeting our drinking and sanitation needs and many others, from fire protection to irrigation. Incongruously, it is also the resource we value least. This is true generally for both the way we use water and the price we put on it.

On the global scale, Americans pay considerably less for water than people in most other
developed nations. In the U.S., we pay less for water than for all other utilities. Water’s historically cheap price has turned the U.S. hydrologic cycle abjectly illogical. Pennies-per-gallon water makes it rational for homeowners to irrigate lawns to shades of Oz even during catastrophic droughts like the one gripping California. On the industrial side, water laws that evolved to protect historic uses rather than the health of rivers and aquifers can give farmers financial incentive to use the most strained water sources for the least sustainable crops. In just one example, farmers near Yuma, Ariz. — the driest spot in the United States, with an average rainfall of 3 inches per year — use Colorado River water to grow thirsty alfalfa; under the law of the river, if they don’t use their allotment, they’ll lose their rights to it.

Americans got used to paying wee little for a whole lot of pristine water. At the same time, many utilities delayed the long-term capital investments needed to maintain their pipes and plants. In recent years, municipalities have begun raising rates to play catch-up. Since 2007, city water prices have risen at rates faster than the overall cost of living. Even so, the water sector reports it is not enough to pay for an estimated $1 trillion in anticipated repair costs for buried water pipes and growth-related infrastructure costs over the next 25 years.

Going forward, water infrastructure, supply and quality challenges intensified by the droughts, floods, temperature extremes and other influences of a changing climate will require new approaches to not only price, but also ethics: using less and polluting less, recycling more, and sharing costs among all users. At the local utility level, higher prices and tiered price structures, in which households that use more pay more, are both working to encourage conservation.

It's time we put an end to the myth of cheap and abundant clean water and recognize the value of one of our most precious resources.


Jennifer Quinn is central Pennsylvania outreach coordinator for PennFuture and is based in Harrisburg. She tweets @QuinnJen1.

Guest post: Toxic algal bloom threatens wildlife and shuts down drinking water to toledo

This guest post was written by Frank Szollosi. Frank serves the National Wildlife Federation as Manager of Great Lakes Regional Outreach Campaigns and is based in Toledo.

Early Saturday morning I was abruptly woken up by a neighbor knocking on the door. He actually then opened a window, saying “Don’t drink the water! Don’t let the kids drink the water!”

A glass of Lake Erie water, showing the harmful
algal bloom.

My first thought was algal blooms, as already this summer, these blooms were growing in Western Lake Erie. Last September, Carroll Township in Ohio had to shut down their water system for four days because of algal blooms. Now it was happening to my town, Toledo.

I looked online, and, sure enough, the local newspaper had a flash at 2 a.m. that the City of Toledo issued a warning of microcystin in the water. Microcystin is the worst product of an algal bloom—it’s a toxin that induces vomiting, diarrhea and liver damage. An incident down in Brazil with contaminated water killed 75 people.

Algal Blooms and Wildlife

National Wildlife Federation has been engaged in this issue for years. Not only can algal blooms contaminate drinking water supplies (this one left 500,000 people in the Toledo area without clean water), but it causes major damage to ecosystems.

The problem for wildlife isn’t so much the toxin (which is still harmful) as the algae itself. The threat comes from hypoxia of water, as algae die and then consume oxygen during decomposition, oxygen which is needed by fish to survive. That drives fish elsewhere, adds to their stress and disrupts reproduction.

In addition, birds (and especially waterfowl) are susceptible to the microcystin. High levels in Lake Erie might lead to liver lesions, and similar blooms in the Chesapeake Bay and Gulf of California were linked to the deaths of great blue herons and California brown pelicans.

The City of Toledo draws its water from an intake structure 2 miles out in Lake Erie, which unfortunately is centered right in the heart of the algal bloom. Wind and current had bulls-eyed the algal bloom right at the intake out in the Western Basin.

Surveying the Damage

National Wildlife Federation President and CEO Collin O’Mara traveled with reporters on a boat tour to the intake site yesterday. He said the situation is part of a larger issue:

“There’s a systematic challenge we face here in the Great Lakes region that’s much bigger than the current water crisis in Toledo,” Mr. O’Mara said, referring to climate change and how scientists believe it has exacerbated algae blooms in recent years. “If we don’t get our arms around it, we will see property values decline, tourism decline, and wildlife impacted, too. I encourage everyone to consider the broader issues.”

A Long-Term Problem

Algal blooms happen because of farming practices, how we put our fertilizer on our lawns, stormwater runoff and discharge from municipal wastewater systems. Toledo also feels the impact of Detroit pumping their wastewater into Lake Erie up-current from our shores. All these things exacerbated something that, fundamentally, has been going on for a few years now.

Add to this, climate change, which is the threat multiplier for all those vectors, fueling extreme weather events. The Great Lakes region is experiencing much more frequent and extreme precipitation events. The largest watershed in the Great Lakes has had a 37 percent increase in heavy precipitation, and more rainfall and snow is pushing nutrients and pollution into streams and into Lake Erie.

This event happened in the middle of the night, but it didn’t happen overnight. The lake is reaching a tipping point from all this phosphorous and pollutants. The water is getting warmer and more polluted, and threatening wildlife and habitat. 

The Chesapeake Bay Agreement -- is it just for show?

Last week, governors from six states, including our own Governor Tom Corbett here in Pennsylvania, signed a new Chesapeake Bay Agreement- the fourth such agreement in 31 years.

The Bay Agreement establishes goal and outcomes for the restoration of the Bay, its tributaries and 64,000 square mile watershed. When the first draft of the agreement was released early this year, many environmental groups were shocked. There were no goals to reduce or even research toxic contamination, even though toxic contamination in some areas is severe enough to lead to fish consumption warnings. Climate change was also not addressed despite it being one of the biggest environmental challenges we face.

Environmental groups like the Choose Clean Water Coalition, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, PennFuture, and many others submitted comments to the Chesapeake Bay Program, urging them to include goals for toxic contamination and climate change in the final agreement -- and it worked! Reducing toxic contamination and increasing the resiliency of the Bay watershed to withstand the impacts of climate change are two of the ten goals in the final agreement, along with increasing public access and environmental literacy, and improving water quality and protecting healthy watersheds, to name a few. Each goal is linked to a set of outcomes that are measurable and have target dates.

Sounds good, right?  Well, if you happen to read the agreement, you’ll find something not so good. Like previous Bay Agreements, this new version is voluntary and depends on funding, so states can opt out without repercussions. This fatal flaw remained in the agreement despite outcry from many organizations.

Even though the agreement is voluntary, the Bay states have committed to draft plans, within 90 days, detailing how they will achieve the agreement’s goals and outcomes. We will have to wait and see just how committed they are to cleaning up our waters.

Jennifer Quinn is central Pennsylvania outreach coordinator for PennFuture and is based in Harrisburg. She tweets @QuinnJen1.