Chesapeake Bay Pollution EPA

This is clipped from the 1991 US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) video,
EMAP: America's Ecological Report Card. Nitrogen and phosphorus pollution are the most serious problems facing the Bay. Too much nitrogen and phosphorus cause algae blooms that block sunlight to underwater grasses. When the blooms decompose, they consume oxygen and create dead zones, where dissolved oxygen levels are too low to sustain marine life The Chesapeake Bay is North America's largest estuary and the world's third largest. Chesapeake Bay is approximately 200 miles long and runs north-south from the mouth of the Susquehanna River to the Atlantic Ocean. The Chesapeake Bay watershed (the area of land that drains into the Bay) is 64,000 square miles and has 11,600 miles of tidal shoreline, including tidal wetlands and islands. The watershed encompasses parts of six states: Delaware, Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia, as well as Washington D.C. Approximately 17 million people live in the watershed; about 10 million people live along its shores or near them. There are more than 100,000 streams, creeks, or rivers in the watershed, including 150 major rivers. More than 500 million pounds of seafood is harvested from the Bay every year. The Bay supports 3,600 species of plant and animal life, including more than 300 fish species and 2,700 plant types. Since colonial times, the Bay has lost half of its forested shorelines, over half of its wetlands, nearly 90 percent of its underwater grasses, and more than 98 percent of its oysters. During the 350 years between 1600 and 1950, approximately 1.7 million acres of the Bay watershed were developed. During the 30 years between 1950 and 1980, the Bay watershed lost an additional 2.7 million acres to development. The landmark Chesapeake Bay Agreement serves as the blueprint for restoring the Bay's health. For more on this Bay, go to the CBF website at http://www.cbf.org .

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• Chesapeake
• Bay
• Foundation
• Pollution
• Delaware
• Maryland
• New
• York
• Pennsylvania
• Virginia
• West
• Washington
• D.C
• EPA
• estuary
• kepone
• pesticide
• nitrogen
• phosphorus
• Susquehanna
• River
• Potomac