An environmental group said state leaders lack the will to make changes to save the Chesapeake Bay from pollution.
“We?re not looking at problems needing solutions, but solutions in needing of funding,” said William Baker, Chesapeake Bay Foundation president.
CBF?s report released Monday chronicled a decades-long trend of fish kills and algal blooms in the Bay during the summer, and criticized the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and state government for not doing enough to curb runoff pollution. (Click here to read the report.)
The nonprofit that advocates for the Bay pointed to an earlier forecast from the Chesapeake Bay Program, an offshoot of the EPA, that said the summer months would see “average” conditions.
During the summer, more than 300,000 fish died as ever-growing algal blooms sapped the water of oxygen.
“My greatest fear is that people will start getting used to this level of pollution,” Baker said.
Algal blooms and “dead zones,” underwater areas where oxygen levels are too low to sustain life, are a natural part of the ecosystem. But nutrient-rich runoff pollution accelerates the process, leading to massive fish kills, including one in June that left Baltimore City?s Inner Harbor reeking of dead fish.
But the scientists involved with the EPA prediction said the CBF is mischaracterizing the report, and the region?s drought was not included in the prediction.
“It may have been better to frame the prediction as typical, not average,” said Jeff Lape, director of the Chesapeake Bay Program. “… The influx of 170,000 people a year creates enough new impervious surfaces that it outpaces our progress.”
The foundation also was critical of Gov. Martin O?Malley and the General Assembly for not imposing fees on impervious surfaces, such as the parking lot of a new development, that contribute to runoff pollution.
But Christine Hansen, spokeswoman said, “The governor is investing into protecting the environment.”
Anne Arundel County Executive John R. Leopold introduced a bill to create a fund from fees charged on impervious surfaces, such as parking lots, at new developments.
The fund, which is expected to generate about $5 million annually, would go toward runoff reduction and restoration efforts. The County Council will vote on the bill next month.
“My hope is that if the [green fund] legislation is reintroduced that there would be a provision for a matching grant to counties that have their own stormwater management funds,” Leopold said.
Major fish kills in the Baltimore region: Weems Creek – 20,000 (Jun. 28)
Cypress Creek – 11,000 (July 2)
Inner Harbor – 7,000 (Jun. 3)
Marley Creek – 3,000 (July 4)
Stoney Creek – 2,000 (July 11)
Heron Lake – 2,000 (July 2)
Source: Chesapeake Bay Foundation
