RCL 2 Blog #4 Issue Brief Rough Draft

Problem with pollution in the Chesapeake

The Chesapeake watershed contains the states of New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, the Virginias, as well as the District of Columbia. The continual pollution to the bay puts all of these states at risk to deal with unhealthy water, many of which also rely on the bay as a major source of commercial income. To help put a stop to the pollution within the bay, we need to individually commit ourselves to helping our ecosystems and do our best to fix the problems we’ve caused. We must clean, and be mindful of our impact on the environment. I’ll talk about the impact of pollution and how we can better solve it. 

The damages done by pollution in the Chesapeake Bay have ramifications that span across states through the watershed, and significantly farther with the Chesapeake’s airshed. The people living in these states will have to deal with polluted waters and air until the problem is solved. The pollution in these areas can cause increased diseases and lead to unsustainable fishing in the bay that has become important for many of the bay’s citizens.

Thankfully, there is already a plan – and it’s working. Problems arose before 2010 when plans to implement a change to the pollution of the bay didn’t actually work. Thankfully, the Chesapeake Bay foundation sued the EPA for negligence and now there is a better plan, the Chesapeake Clean Water Blueprint, that has been implemented and has been successful and plans to have “fishable, swimmable” waters by the year 2025 in the bay. This doesn’t mean that there is still nothing to do to help, though. The plan is merely put in place so that the long term pollution in the bay decreases, so it’s important that individuals do their part to help the problem with the Chesapeake. Regular trash cleanups and volunteer work are exceptionally important ways to help keep the bay clean and remove the chance of excess pollutants entering the environment. Being ecologically conscious is also important, with recycling more often and using less harmful chemicals to the environment.

The problem of pollution in the bay is something that affects millions of people. Caused by a mix of different pollutants like agricultural runoff, air pollution, stormwater runoff, and wastewater treatment factories, it poses incredible harms to both the wildlife in the area and to the populations reliant on the bay. Because of this, it’s important that we all put in our best efforts to be environmentally responsible and conscious of our actions. 

I used Cause/Effect/Solution

Bibliography

“Air Pollution.” Chesapeake Bay Foundation, https://www.cbf.org/issues/air-pollution/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=google_grant&utm_campaign=pollution&utm_content=pollution_google&gclid=Cj0KCQjw8e-gBhD0ARIsAJiDsaWGqCJw1Yc5Ehonq3Y4mP0sklCw4bR6byKTxpmeo61gMXnTu6JTxR4aAoPMEALw_wcB.  

“Air Pollution.” Chesapeake Bay, https://www.chesapeakebay.net/issues/threats-to-the-bay/air-pollution#:~:text=Airborne%20nitrogen%20is%20one%20of,zones%E2%80%9D%20that%20suffocate%20marine%20life.   

Chase, et al. “Eight Ways to Help Save the Chesapeake Bay.” Chesapeake Bay, https://www.chesapeakebay.net/news/blog/eight-ways-to-save-the-chesapeake-bay-in-2012.  

“The Chesapeake Bay Watershed.” Chesapeake Bay Foundation, https://www.cbf.org/about-the-bay/maps/geography/chesapeake-bay-watershed.html. 

“Environmental Factors.” National Parks Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, https://www.nps.gov/chba/learn/environmental-factors.htm. 

EPA, Environmental Protection Agency, https://www.epa.gov/restoration-chesapeake-bay. 

“Maryland Department of the Environment.” Department of the Environment, https://mde.maryland.gov/programs/Water/TMDL/TMDLImplementation/Pages/pollution-in-the-chesapeake.aspx. 

“Pennsylvania and the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Active.” Pennsylvania and the Chesapeake Bay Watershed | U.S. Geological Survey, https://www.usgs.gov/centers/pennsylvania-water-science-center/science/pennsylvania-and-chesapeake-bay-watershed. 

“Protecting the Chesapeake Bay.” National Wildlife Federation, https://www.nwf.org/Our-Work/Waters/Great-Waters-Restoration/Chesapeake-Bay. 

“What Is Killing the Bay?” Chesapeake Bay Foundation, https://www.cbf.org/how-we-save-the-bay/chesapeake-clean-water-blueprint/what-is-killing-the-bay.html. 

“What Is the Chesapeake Clean Water Blueprint?” Chesapeake Bay Foundation, https://www.cbf.org/how-we-save-the-bay/chesapeake-clean-water-blueprint/what-is-the-chesapeake-clean-water-blueprint.html. 

Some potential graphics I’ll use