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.

More opportunities for the public to weigh in on stormwater pollution

In November 2014, PennFuture won a key victory for how Pennsylvania manages the issue of polluted stormwater entering our waterways. Between now and July 29, the public can provide input to the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) about the draft general permit for discharges into municipal separate stormwater systems, known as PAG-13. Many of the proposed changes to PAG-13 were the direct result of our settlement in the 2014 case.

Both the state and federal governments have made a priority to address polluted runoff from rain and snow into our storm sewers. This runoff carries street debris, oil, fertilizer, chemicals and trash with it, all untreated as it enters rivers such as the Schuylkill, Delaware, Susquehanna, and thousands of streams and rivers across Pennsylvania. This issue is part of the municipal separate storm sewer system (MS4) state program, and the public comment period on the new program allows you -- the public, both as individuals or watershed and conservation organizations -- to provide helpful information to DEP. 

A draft of the revised PAG-13 is available from DEP’s website: http://www.elibrary.dep.state.pa.us/dsweb/View/Collection-12476
and the Pennsylvania Bulletin pages 2674-2675 has full instructions for submitting comments. DEP also offers this background on municipal stormwater issues and more on the comment process. Finally, our recent blog post on the topic explains the details of the settlement and what it means for water quality.

Kate Gibbons is northeastern Pennsylvania outreach coordinator for PennFuture and is based in Wilkes-Barre.

PennFuture goes to Washington

On March 5, PennFuture staff will be heading to Washington, D.C., for the Choose Clean Water Coalition’s third annual Bay Day on the Hill. In our efforts to improve water quality in the Susquehanna River and, in turn, the Chesapeake Bay, it is essential for us to engage with our elected officials.  Members of the Coalition will be requesting support for programs that are essential to maintaining and restoring clean water throughout the Bay watershed.

We will be seeking funding for the Environmental Protection Agency’s Chesapeake Bay Program, which is a regional partnership comprised of federal and state agencies, local governments, nonprofit organizations and academic institutions that leads and directs restoration of the Bay. The majority of the Bay Program’s funds make their way to states and local communities for important on-the-ground restoration work through programs like the Small Watershed Grants (SWG), Innovative Nutrient and Sediment Reduction Grants (INSR), State Implementation Grants, and the Chesapeake Bay Regulatory and Accountability Program grants.

The INSR grants have supported approximately 122 on-the-ground conservation projects that provide innovative approaches to accelerating adoption of cost effective and sustainable nutrient and sediment pollution reductions throughout the watershed. The SWG grants have supported approximately 229 conservation projects that contribute to improving water quality throughout the watershed and to the overall health of the Chesapeake Bay.

We will also be seeking support for the Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF), which provides low interest loans to local governments in Delaware, Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia for capital construction projects at wastewater treatment facilities and nonpoint source pollution control from farms and development. Almost 1,800 local governments are eligible for these loans and over the past twenty-five years, the CWSRF has provided over 33,320 low interest loans.

Meeting with elected officials is something we do as advocates for the environment because it’s important to educate, engage, and hold accountable the folks who make the decisions that impact us all. But it’s not something just for us to do -- it’s something all citizens should be doing. Whether your concerns are clean water, clean air, sustainability, or renewable energy, speak up! Contact your elected officials and tell them what matters to you and why it matters.

To quote Dr. Seuss’s The Lorax, “Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not.”

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

How a dam in Maryland can impact the Chesapeake Bay

The Conowingo Dam, built in 1928 and located on the Susquehanna River in Maryland five miles south of the Pennsylvania border, has been trapping nutrient and sediment pollution from upstream locales since its construction. Currently, almost 200 million tons of sediment sit behind the dam and, lately, there has been considerable debate over just how much of a threat that sediment poses to the downstream Chesapeake Bay.

A recent report by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Maryland Department of the Environment attempts to answer that question. Sediment (dirt) and nutrients (mainly nitrogen and phosphorus from animal and human waste) from the land, floodplain, and streams in the watershed have been carried downstream and stored behind the Conowingo Dam and other dams on the river. Historically, the dams acted as traps, reducing the amount of sediment and nutrients reaching the Chesapeake Bay but, over time, the dams have “filled up” with sediment and, consequently, their trapping capacity has been greatly reduced.

Presently, these dams are in a state of "dynamic equilibrium," meaning nutrients and sediment will accumulate behind the dams until a flood event scours out some of the sediment, carrying that sediment into the Bay while simultaneously increasing  the dams' storage capacity in the short term. Over the long term (years to decades), this dynamic equilibrium means that the amount of sediment carried to the dams from upstream sources will equal the amount of sediment that reaches the waters of the Chesapeake Bay.

During a major storm event (one that occurs every 4 to 5 years), approximately 20 to 30 percent of the sediment that flows into the Bay from the Susquehanna River is scoured of material stored behind Conowingo Dam, and the rest is from the upstream watershed. This means stored sediments are part of the problem, but they’re not the only problem. The main problem is pollution from farms, sewage plants, septic systems, and urban and suburban runoff throughout the Bay watershed. This type of pollution is in everyone’s backyard and addressing these sources of pollution is the best way to restore the Bay and our local streams and rivers.

The good news is that plans to address pollution in our local waters already exist and are being implemented. Each state in the Bay watershed has a Watershed Implementation Plan that will improve their local waters and meet the Bay clean-up goals.

A holistic approach that stops pollution at its source is a far better bet for clean water than focusing on just one part of the problem.

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

Will you pool your voice for our river?

Seventeen million of us drink its water and it has the distinction of being the longest undammed river east of the Mississippi: It's the Delaware River, named for the 16th century Baron De La Warr (if you remember your American social studies classes). The spectacular Delaware Water Gap (pictured below) and its National Recreation Area are among the top ten national parks for visitors. If you paddle or hike in the park, along the Appalachian Trail -- or in many of the public lands along the river --- you've visited one of the best natural areas within a day's drive of much of the Northeast.

Photo courtesy of John Parke, New Jersey Audubon

Now, the Coalition for the Delaware River Watershed (CDRW) is uniting organizations across the region for the first time and advocating with a collective voice for protecting and restoring the mighty waterway and watershed. Last fall, the new coalition hosted a two-day event that brought together more than 200 attendees including folks from 60 organizations.

Now, PennFuture, as a part of the Coalition's steering committee, is working to include even more members in the CDRW. Do you volunteer for a watershed association in the region and want to learn more about leveraging your voice with elected officials and decision makers? Are you part of a fishing organization whose local tributaries face pollution, runoff, and habitat loss and you'd like to meet others working on the same issues? Does your land trust work to preserve wetlands and forests in the region? Contact us to learn more about the cost (free!) and benefits of joining the Coalition. Join with PennFuture, National Wildlife Federation, New Jersey Audubon Society, and 50 other community organizations and learn what you can do to help guide our work.

Kate Gibbons is northeastern Pennsylvania outreach coordinator for PennFuture and is based in Wilkes-Barre.

Hello, world. I'm diving in!

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 8^th 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.