Chesapeake Bay News

The Maryland Environmental Trust (MET) is now accepting applications for grants through the Keep Maryland Beautiful program, an initiative dedicated to helping volunteer-based non-profit groups or communities solve natural resource issues. The grants are funded by the State Highway Administration, a division of the Maryland Department of Transportation, as well as previous donations to MET.

“School groups, civic and community organizations have been encouraged by the financial support these grants provide to important local projects,” said MET Director Elizabeth Buxton. “We are pleased to help communities solve a local environmental problem and contribute to solutions that significantly benefit Maryland’s natural environment.”

MET is offering two types of grants through the program: The Margaret Rosch Jones Award of up to $2,000 and The Bill James Environmental Grants of up to $1,000. The Margaret Rosch award will recognize an ongoing project that has already demonstrated success in solving an environmental issue, whether local or statewide. The Bill James Environmental Grants are awarded to nonprofit youth groups that initiate new environmental education projects in their communities.

The Margaret Rosch Jones Award honors a woman who demonstrated a dedication to preserving the Chesapeake Bay. Born in 1906, Margaret Jones had a genius IQ, wrote poetry and was a self-taught Latin scholar. Jones was the executive director and moving spirit of the Keep Maryland Beautiful Program for many years. The award is given to non-profit groups or communities who have a plan for an on-going, proven project that reflects Ms. Jones’s qualities of devotion, energy and ingenuity in its work to re-build and enhance the community’s natural resources.

The Bill James Environmental Grants are given in memory of William S. James and are awarded to school groups, science and ecology clubs, and other non-profit youth groups for proposed natural resource education projects. Born in Aberdeen in 1914, Bill James studied law at the University of Maryland and then practiced law in Bel Air for 38 years. He served as President of the Maryland Senate and was the principal architect of many of Maryland’s most important environmental laws, including wetlands law, Program Open Space, and agricultural land preservation. Senator James drafted legislation to create the MET, incorporating the activities of the Governor’s Committee to Keep Maryland Beautiful.

For MET to consider a project, it must demonstrate leadership and volunteer participation; offer potential benefits to the environment and community; and have a feasible plan, including goals, success criteria and time line for completion.

The deadline to apply is March 31, 2011. Application forms are available at www.dnr.state.md.us/met/grant_programs.asp

MET is a statewide land trust governed by a citizen board of trustees and affiliated with the Department of Natural Resources. It was established in 1967 by the Maryland General Assembly and is one of the oldest and most successful land trusts in the country. MET promotes the protection of open land through its Land Conservation Program, Monitoring and Stewardship Program and Local Land Trust Assistance Program. MET also provides grants to environmental education projects through the Keep Maryland Beautiful Program. For more information, visit the website www.dnr.maryland.gov/met.

source: MD DNR

In January 2011, The Maryland Department of the Environment began investigating a fish kill in the Chesapeake Bay in which an estimated two million fish have died.

Natural causes appear to be the reason for the deaths of the fish. Cold water stress exacerbated by a large population of the affected species (juvenile spot fish) appears to be the cause of the kill.

According to Maryland Department of the Environment, preliminary monitoring results showed that water quality in the area appeared to be acceptable. Additional water quality monitoring results were being analyzed.

The affected fish were almost exclusively juvenile spot fish, three-to-six inches in length. MDE first received reports of dead fish in early January. The fish kill appeared to be centered on the bay from the Bay Bridge to Poplar Island.

Spot may have difficulty surviving in colder temperatures, and the species’ susceptibility to winter kills is well-documented. A rapid drop in water temperatures apparently caused cold water stress. Surface water temperatures in the bay have reached about 0.5 degrees Celsius according to Md. Department of Natural Resources Bay Program monitoring data, which is the coldest December recording in 25 years of monitoring.

Adult spot normally leave the bay during winter, but juveniles occasionally winter over in the area. Bottom water temperatures near their lower thermal limit (4 to 5 degrees Celsius) are not uncommon in the bay during winter. Juvenile spot, overwintering because of a mild early winter, may be susceptible to fish kills due to sudden decreases in water temperature.

A recent DNR survey showed a very strong population of spot in the Bay this year. An increased juvenile population and limited deep water habitat would likely compound the affects of cold water stress.

Large winter kills of spot have occurred at least twice before in Maryland. In late January 1976, records show that about 15 million spot died of winter stress in the bay. A smaller number died in January 1980. Maryland experiences still smaller fish kills caused by cold water stress every few years.

MDE has advised that anyone who touches dead fish should take precautions such as washing hands. Residents can bury dead fish, but the tides, wildlife and natural decomposition should dispose of the fish.

MDE encourages anyone with information on fish kills to call 1-866-MDE-GOTO.

source: MDE

Governor Martin O’Malley has proposed $25 million in fiscal year 2012 funding for the Chesapeake and Atlantic Coastal Bays Trust Fund, a 25 percent increase over 2011. The dedicated fund supports projects designed to reduce non-point source pollution that reaches the Chesapeake Bay.

“Even during these difficult fiscal times, Maryland has been able to strengthen our efforts to restore the Chesapeake Bay,” said Governor O’Malley. “With 90 percent of these funds being directed for projects and infrastructure that will employ installers, designers, engineers and construction services, the Trust Fund will not only help us achieve our restoration commitments, but will create jobs and support local economies.”

Established in November 2007, the Chesapeake and Atlantic Coastal Bays Trust Fund was created to provide a dedicated source of funding to accelerate Bay restoration by focusing resources on practices that are the most cost efficient and are targeted to the areas where pollution reductions will be the most effective.

The Trust Fund is made up of monies generated through motor fuel tax and rental car tax in Maryland. Now in its third year, the Fund has targeted a total of $38.4 million to date for projects that reduce non-point source pollution: $20 million in fiscal year 2011; $8.81 million in fiscal year 2010; and $9.6 million in fiscal year 2009. It is anticipated that when fully-funded, the Trust Fund will generate $50 million annually.

In addition to supporting Maryland’s commitment to cover crops and planting trees in targeted areas across the State, the Trust Fund will direct $6.2 million to local communities to assist in clean-up of local rivers and streams.

Prince George’s County will receive $2.88 million to construct a large-scale urban stream restoration in the Northwest Branch of the Anacostia River.

Other projects to be funded include:

* $1.2 million to Howard County and the Columbia Association for stormwater retrofits and forest buffer restoration in the Little Patuxent watershed

* $640,000 to Baltimore County and Herring Run Watershed Association for stormwater retrofits and forest buffer restoration in Back River.

* $500,000 to Harford County to construct four stormwater management projects in Wheel Creek.

* $463,000 to Anne Arundel County to construct and monitor an innovative sand seepage stream restoration in a subwatershed of the Magothy River.

* $290,000 to the Sassafras River Association to install wetlands and pilot poultry manure incorporation within the watershed.

* $250,000 to Centreville to manage stormwater at the local wastewater treatment plant in the Corsica River watershed.

Maryland’s agencies, the Chesapeake Bay Trust, the Environmental Protection Agency and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association worked together to maximize available Bay restoration dollars.

The complete SFY 2012 Workplan and supporting materials can be found at: http://www.dnr.maryland.gov/ccp/funding/trust_fund.asp.

source: MD DNR

Baltimore County has nearly completed the Pleasure Island dredging and beach replenishment project paid for by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and its partners. Using a combination of Waterway Improvement funds from DNR, federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds, and funds from the Maryland Port Administration, this project will restore safe access to the navigation channel for recreational and commercial vessels.

“This is truly money well spent since it supports Baltimore County’s vibrant recreational boating industry while enhancing water quality and providing habitat for marine life,” said Baltimore County Executive Kevin Kamenetz. ”This project will improve the waters of the county and the Chesapeake Bay.”

Baltimore County dredged the channel between the Miller’s Island Community and Pleasure Island to a depth of -8 foot mean lower low water (mllw) and will use the dredge material to create a beach behind a series of offshore segmented breakwaters and sills along the south shoreline of Pleasure Island. The newly created beach will be stabilized with wetland vegetation. The total shoreline length is about 2,200 feet.

Additionally, the county constructed a groin along the north side of the Island at Hawk Cove to help trap sand that was deposited in the channel.

The next step in the project is to plant wetland vegetation on the beach of Pleasure Island to create a living shoreline, improving water quality and clarity. Additionally, the project will reduce the need for maintenance dredging of the Pleasure Island channel known as “the cut.”

Of the $4.7 million project cost, the Waterway Improvement Fund contributed about $1.9 million. The Waterway Improvement Fund is funded by the 5 percent excise tax that boaters pay when they register a boat in Maryland. The Port Administration contributed $100,000 and the remaining costs were covered by the federal ARRA.

The project will benefit thousands of recreational and commercial boaters by restoring boating access and improving navigation of the Pleasure Island channel. “The cut” is used as a safe navigation channel to access protected waters.

source: MD DNR

The Chesapeake Bay is showing encouraging signs of rebounding but is still in critical condition as a result of pollution, according to the Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s (CBF) 2010 State of the Bay Report. The report comes as the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is preparing to release its pollution budget designed to reduce pollution and dramatically improve water quality.

“That the Bay is getting better is a huge development, but sadly not the whole story,” said CBF President William C. Baker. “Dead zones, fish kills, and water contact advisories are constant reminders of how far we still must go.”

The numeric index of the Bay’s health jumped three points from 2008 to 2010, with eight of 13 indicators rising. The indicator for the health of the blue crab population spiked 15 points, as the Bay’s population increased significantly last year. Also, underwater grasses showed steady progress over the past four years.

But the overall health index of the Bay is 31 out of 100, which means it is still a system dangerously out of balance.

The report is a comprehensive measure of the Bay’s health, evaluating 13 indicators: oysters, shad, crabs, striped bass (rockfish), underwater grasses, wetlands, forested buffers, resource lands, toxics, water clarity, dissolved oxygen, and phosphorus and nitrogen pollution. CBF scientists compile and examine the best available historical and up-to-date information for each indicator and assign it an index score and letter grade. Taken together, these indicators offer an assessment of Bay health.

The unspoiled Bay ecosystem described by Captain John Smith in the 1600s, with its extensive forests and wetlands, clear water, abundant fish and oysters, and lush growths of submerged vegetation serves as the benchmark, and would rate a 100 on CBF’s scale.

“We are at a tipping point,” Baker said. “If EPA stands firm, and the states deliver on their commitments, the Bay will become resilient and bountiful. At the same time, reducing pollution will create jobs and improve local economies.”

By the end of December, EPA must issue a pollution diet for the Bay watershed called a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL). The TMDL is required under the federal Clean Water Act and court rulings.

This diet will require Maryland and other Bay states, and ultimately each local jurisdiction, to ratchet down pollution to local creeks, rivers, and the Bay from all sources, including farms, sewage treatment plants, urban and suburban streets, parking lots and lawns. State and local governments will be held responsible for those reductions or potentially lose federal funding and be denied federal permits.

The Bay states and the District of Columbia were required to submit a Watershed Implementation Plan (WIP) to EPA specifying how it planned to meet the new pollution diet. The preliminary version of the each jurisdiction’s plan was deficient in specific details, the agency concluded. CBF has urged the EPA to stand firm in its expectations and to impose consequences on jurisdictions that fail to establish and fully implement plans that meet pollution reduction goals on schedule.

“We applaud Maryland for creating a substantial and high quality WIP, and for the work put into producing the document. This high level of dedication will be needed from all leaders over the next 10 years if we hope to see a restored Bay,” said CBF Maryland Executive Director Kim Coble.  “Maryland will need to aggressively pursue a number of commitments in its Bay clean-up plan. For example, to get pollution reductions from agriculture the state must continue funding cover crops, but also must target that funding to fields where manure is applied and corn is grown. We look forward to working with the state to ensure the WIP produces real results.”

The copy of the full report is available at: www.cbf.org/sotb2010.

source: Chesapeake Bay Foundation

Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is hosting three Clean Marina Roundtable workshops for marina and boatyard operators.

The roundtables will discuss Maryland’s Clean Marina Initiative, a voluntary program that promotes and celebrates efforts of marinas, boatyards and yacht clubs to reduce their pollution. Free copies of the Clean Marina Guidebook, award checklists and educational materials for boaters and staff will be provided. Participants will network with local Clean Marina managers and program staff to learn how they can meet award criteria.

“Although attending a workshop isn’t required to become a Clean Marina, it’s the best way for marina operators to learn about the program in a short amount of time,” said Donna Morrow, DNR’s Clean Marina Administrator. “By networking with other marina operators, participants will hear about practical ways to become a Clean Marina. Maryland’s waterways need everyone doing their part and the Clean Marina program is a tangible way for marinas to help.”

Dates and Locations:

January 11, Spring Cove Marina, Solomons
January 13, Port Annapolis Marina, Annapolis
January 20, Skipjack Cove Yachting Resort, Georgetown

All roundtables will run from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and there is no charge to attend. Weather permitting, a tour of the host facility will follow the roundtable discussion. In addition to helping reduce pollution and protect our waterways, Clean Marinas often enjoy discounted insurance rates, reduced clean up costs and improved relations within their community. All marine facilities are encourage to participate and seek the award.

Marine facilities of any size are encouraged to pursue the Maryland Clean Marina Award. To qualify, a facility must meet all permitting requirements and adopt a significant portion of recommendations from the Maryland Clean Marina Guidebook.

DNR staff and mentors offer assistance and site visits to marinas pursuing the award. They are re-certified every three years. To date, 143 facilities (roughly 23 percent of Maryland marinas) have achieved the designation.

Advanced registration is requested as space is limited. Marina managers may register by sending an email to dmorrow@dnr.state.md.us and indicating which roundtable they wish to attend. The roundtables are for operators and staff of Maryland marine facilities and not for product demonstrations, solicitation, or similar purposes. Information on the Maryland Clean Marina Initiative can be found at http://www.dnr.state.md.us/boating/cleanmarina/ or by contacting Donna Morrow at dmorrow@dnr.state.md.us or 410-260-8773.

source: MD DNR

The Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) is applauding President Obama’s decision not to pursue offshore drilling on the Eastern Seaboard.

“The Chesapeake Bay is a national treasure, and drilling offshore poses unjustifiable risks to the Bay, its living resources, the tourism economy, and the many jobs dependent on clean water.  Watermen dependent on blue crabs are especially at risk.  A spill could devastate the crab industry,” said Roy A. Hoagland, CBF Vice President for Environmental Protection and Restoration. “The President is right in saying ‘no’ to offshore drilling along the Eastern Seaboard.”

The waters off the mouth of the Bay are indistinguishable both biologically and hydrologically from the Chesapeake. Ninety percent of the blue crab population utilizes those waters during the early life cycle stages. The crab larvae can float miles out into the ocean at the top centimeter of the water column (vulnerable to even the smallest oil spill) after they are spawned at the mouth of the Bay.

Last March, when President Obama called for the opening of oil and gas drilling leases off the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay, CBF immediately opposed the proposal.

source: CBF press release

Kim Coble, Maryland Executive Director of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF), has issued the following statement regarding the final Maryland Watershed Implementation Plan:

“CBF has completed a preliminary review of Maryland’s plan. We commend the state for providing additional details and timelines, and for the hard work of staff. But the state has not completed the job, yet.

“We applaud concrete steps in the plan to reduce pollution from suburban lawns, to hold wastewater treatment plants accountable for reducing nitrogen pollution, and toward improvements in phosphorous management on farms.

“But we remain concerned that the plan falls short of providing reasonable assurance the state can meet its goals, including goals to reduce pollution from agriculture and from stormwater. The state appears to have postponed difficult decisions and actions pertaining to these and other areas.

“A strong plan to clean our creeks, rivers, and the Bay could create potentially thousands of jobs for Marylanders. But thousands could lose their jobs, especially in the seafood industry, if Maryland falters, and our water remains fouled by pollution.

“Recent surveys show the public’s strong feelings that Bay states must abide by the Clean Water Act and act forcefully to Save the Bay. We hope Maryland will work with the Environmental Protection Agency to satisfy that desire.”

source: CBF press release

Ann F. Jennings, Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) Virginia executive director, issued the following statement regarding the Commonwealth of Virginia’s final Watershed Implementation Plan (WIP) submitted to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on November 29, 2010:

“The Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) has reviewed Virginia’s revised Watershed Implementation Plan (WIP), and we are encouraged by the new commitments outlined in the final plan. We acknowledge that the Commonwealth has made many changes to the initial draft WIP, and we applaud the state’s commitment to this process, understanding that many state workers spent their Thanksgiving holiday working on the final plan.

“As CBF urged, the Commonwealth specifically commits to significant additional pollution reductions from wastewater treatment plants in the James River basin. As many have noted, obtaining nitrogen and phosphorus reductions by upgrading wastewater treatment plants is among the most cost-effective and accountable tools available. Virginia has committed to obtain up to 6 million additional pounds of nitrogen pollution reductions from wastewater, which will result in improved water quality for the Bay and Virginia’s rivers. It should especially benefit the lower James River, which for years has been plagued by algae blooms from excess pollution.

“The plan also obligates the Commonwealth to greater pollution reductions from stormwater running off urban streets and parking lots by mandating reductions in state permits for large city stormwater systems. Runoff from our cities and homes remains the only source of water pollution in Virginia that continues to increase and therefore must be aggressively addressed if restoration of the Bay and our local streams is to succeed.

“Unfortunately, while the revised plan includes many more promising ideas for reducing polluted runoff from Virginia farms, it continues to lack commitments that such reductions will actually be achieved. The WIP calls for farms to implement “resource management plans” to reduce pollution but does not mandate what those plans should include and requires them only if adequate funding is available. Unlike the clear commitments to reductions from the wastewater sector, Virginia has not provided the same reasonable assurance from the agriculture sector. Because of this shortcoming, we anticipate that EPA will have no choice but to impose backstop TMDL measures, which could result in increased EPA oversight in order to comply with the Clean Water Act.

“Regrettably, the Virginia WIP continues to characterize the Bay cleanup plan as an unfunded federal mandate, ignoring:

- Virginia’s Constitution and State Water Control Law require state government to ensure clean water for all Virginia citizens by developing and implementing cleanup plans identical to those now called for by EPA, and

- Recent statewide polling shows vast majorities of Virginia voters believe providing clean water is an important function of state government.

“CBF applauds the Commonwealth’s efforts to improve the WIP and urges Virginia and EPA to continue working to resolve outstanding issues, particularly regarding agriculture runoff pollution, and ultimately to ensure a Virginia plan that achieves clean water and a restored Bay.”

source: CBF press release

On October 22, 2010, NOAA and local partners celebrated the opening of 20 miles of stream habitat along the Patapsco River in Maryland and its tributaries. According to NOAA the action is a critical step towards restoring the Patapsco River. The breaching of the Simkins Dam was funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

“Breaching the Simkins Dam brings us closer to returning this portion of the Patapsco River to a thriving, free-flowing river,” said Eric Schwaab, NOAA assistant administrator for NOAA’s Fisheries Service. “And it’s terrific that while we are restoring habitat, we are also working to restore our economy through the jobs created in this effort.”

Removing the dam will enhance the health of the river by allowing the natural transport of sediment, restoring 20 miles of spawning habitat for migratory fish—including American eel and alewife—and other species, and creating a safer recreation area.  The dam removal will also increase safety for swimmers and kayakers.

The Patapsco River Restoration Project received $4 million last year funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment to remove both the Simkins and Union dams. NOAA, American Rivers, Maryland Department of Natural Resources and the Friends of the Patapsco Valley State Park have worked more than 36 months to implement this project and develop partnerships for future dam removals in the watershed.

“The removal of Simpkins Dam to restore the Patapsco River is a historic milestone for Maryland,” said Rebecca Wodder, President of American Rivers. “A healthier river will enhance the economy, local community and the Chesapeake Bay. American Rivers is proud to have partnered with private industry, government and other nonprofit organizations on this landmark restoration project. Rivers are remarkably resilient and we are all excited to see the Patapsco River restored.”

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act was signed into law by President Obama on February 17, 2009. Through the Recovery Act, NOAA was provided $167 million for marine and coastal habitat restoration.

When all the planned projects are complete, 8,700 acres of habitat will be restored, and fish will gain access to 700 stream miles that had been blocked by obsolete and unsafe dams. The projects also will remove more than 850 metric tons of abandoned fishing gear and other marine trash, rebuild oyster and other shellfish habitat and reduce threats to 11,750 acres of coral reef habitat. This will benefit salmon, migratory birds, turtles and a variety of threatened and endangered fish and wildlife species.

source: NOAA press release