CHESAPEAKE BAY POLLUTION

FIRST ISSUE: GROUNDWATER

• What is groundwater?
• Groundwater is water that is stored underground in cracks and spaces in rocks and soil. Only 3 percent of all
• 👆 continued:water on Earth is fresh water, and at least 30 percent of that fresh water is contained in groundwater.
• How does groundwater reach the bay?
• It reaches the bay in two ways: 1. As base flow to streams and rivers that flow into the bay.

FIRST ISSUE CON.

• 2. As discharge from shallow aquifers directly to the Bay and its tidal tributaries Groundwater contributes
• 👆 continued: to river flow, or the amount of fresh water flowing from streams and rivers into the Bay.

SECOND ISSUE: POPULATION GROWTH

• What is population growth?
• With its strong economy, diverse communities and rich natural and historic resources, it’s no wonder
• 👆 continued:that more than 17 million people call the Chesapeake Bay watershed home.
• But the region’s rapid rate of population growth has raised concern over whether the watershed can continue
• 👆 continued:to sustain the plants, animals and people that live here.

SECOND ISSUE CON.

• How is population growth a pressure on the Chesapeake Bay?
• Each person that lives in this region affects the Chesapeake Bay: we consume natural resources; we pollute the
• 👆 continued:air, land and water; and we alter the landscape to fit our needs.
• The health of our waterways, therefore, is directly tied to population growth.

THIRD ISSUE: STORMWATER RUNOFF

• What is storm water runoff?
• Any precipitation in an urban or suburban area that does not evaporate or soak into the
• 👆 continued:ground, but instead pools and travels downhill is storm water runoff.
• How is stormwater runoff a pressure on the Bay?
• Stormwater picks up nutrients, sediment and chemical contaminants as it flows across

THIRD ISSUE CON.

• roads, yards, farms, golf courses, parking lots and construction sites.
• This polluted runoff travels into storm drains and local waterways that eventually drain into the Bay.

SOURCES OF POLLUTION FROM URBAN AND SUBURBAN RUNOFF

• Lawn and garden fertilizers
• Pet waste
• Septic tank and waste water treatment facilities
• Improperly discarded chemicals
• Litter

FOURTH ISSUE: SEDIMENT

• What is sediment?
• Sediment forms when rocks and soil weather and erode.
• How does sediment harm the Chesapeake Bay?
• Because of their small size, the particles of sand, silt and clay that we call “sediment” often float through the
• 👆 continued:water rather than settling to the bottom, and can be carried long distances during rainstorms.

FOURTH ISSUE CON.

• When there are too many sediment particles suspended in the water, the water becomes cloudy and muddy-looking.
• Cloudy water does not allow sunlight to reach the plants that grow on the bottom of the Bay’s shallows.
• Without sunlight, these plants—including underwater grasses—die, which affects the young fish and shellfish
• 👆 continued:that depend on them for shelter.

CONCLUSION

• There are many pollution sources that enter the Chesapeake bay
• One is groundwater
• Second is population growth
• Third is stormwater runoff
• Fourth is sediment