Aren’t You Sick of Dirty Beaches?

 
At the start of the July 4th holiday weekend, many folks in the Chesapeake Bay watershed are rightly looking forward to getting out on the Bay or its hundreds of rivers, streams, and creeks and having some fun.

Swimming, fishing, boating, and other water activities are not only what make the Chesapeake Bay one of the nation’s favorite places to live or visit, but they also contribute mightily to the region’s economy, generating billions of dollars in tourism, tax revenue, and jobs. The Bay is truly the region’s economic engine, and clean water is the fuel for that engine.

But, of course, clean water in the Bay region has become a big problem. As the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Bay states have reported for years, great swaths of the Chesapeake and its rivers are polluted, appearing with increasing frequency on official “dirty water lists” and violating federal or state water quality standards for “fishability” and “swimmability.”

A timely -- and given the holiday weekend, unfortunate -- case in point: The Natural Resource Defense Council (NRDC) this week published its annual report on the number of beach closures due to dirty water. Nationally, the numbers increased a significant 29 percent in 2010 from the year before, and in Virginia and Maryland, the numbers were up as well.

Overall, Virginia ranked 12th nationally, exceeding the EPA’s water contamination standard 5 percent of the time, an increase from 3 percent in 2009 and continuing a trend of annual increases in beach water quality violations over the past five years. Maryland ranked 16, violating recommended bacteria standards 7 percent of the time, also up from 3 percent in 2009.

Taking a look at Virginia, the Commonwealth reported having 48 coastal beaches in 2010, according the NRDC report. Most (45) were monitored by state health officials once a week; three were not monitored at all. The beaches with the highest percent violation rates of bacteria standards in 2010 were Festival Beach in Mathews County (38%), Hilton Beach (32%) and King/Lincoln Park (28%) in Newport News, Fairview Beach in King George County (25%), Chick’s Beach (13%) and Lesner Bridge East (13%) in Virginia Beach, and Anderson’s Beach in Newport News (13%).

According to the report, Mathews County had the highest bacteria exceedance rate (38%) in 2010, followed by King George County (25%), Newport News (22%), Virginia Beach (3%),  Hampton (2%), and Norfolk (1%).

The point is not to single out or criticize specific states, localities, and beaches. As the NRDC report points out, high numbers of closings and advisories may indicate that the state or locality is making a good effort to protect public health by vigilantly monitoring its waters and closing beaches when they are polluted.

But the report shines another light on the elephant in the room:  dirty water in the Chesapeake region is  a big problem. In fact, the more we test our beaches and waterways, the more pollution we seem to find every year.

Which is why it is so important that the new federal-state Chesapeake Bay cleanup initiative succeed. This unprecedented, science-based partnership effort aims to reduce the Bay region’s most problematic water pollution from all sources over the next 15 years so we all can enjoy clean beaches, clean streams, plentiful fish and shellfish, greater job opportunities, a revived economy, and worry-free Fourth of July weekends.

But powerful self-interests are marshalling forces to block the Bay cleanup effort. Just this week, the National Home Builders Association filed a lawsuit asking a federal court to stop EPA from implementing pollution limits for the Chesapeake Bay and all its tributaries. The lawsuit is similar to one filed earlier by national agricultural groups, including the American Farm Bureau Federation and national fertilizer, poultry, egg, corn, and pork associations.

These clean water foes also have powerful supporters in the halls of Congress who already have tried once this year to strip EPA of all federal funding for Chesapeake Bay restoration. That effort failed, albeit narrowly, but most expect similar legislative efforts will be renewed in the coming weeks. 

On this national holiday weekend, take a moment to reflect on what’s important to you. If you think clean water and a healthy environment are your right as an American; if you believe our local, state, and national priorities ought to include environmental protection; if you’re tired of closed beaches, dirty water, and polluters doing business as usual, then you better also take a moment to let your member of Congress and local elected officials know with a note or phone call.

In the end, we’ll get the leadership, environment, and democracy we deserve. As the bumper sticker says, “The Bay can’t vote, but you can!” Are you willing to be a player?

Chuck Epes
Chesapeake Bay Foundation

Comments

[dissertation writing jobs]

I can't understand, is it so hard to clean after yourself? people really don't think about the others..

[autoversicherung huk muenchen]

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[chemistry projects]

if things will be going this way soon will have no place to rest