Posts Tagged ‘Chesapeake Bay’

Md. Environmental Group to Develop Baltimore Harbor Report Card

Wednesday, February 23rd, 2011

A University of Maryland environmental research group is developing a “report card” to assess the health of the Baltimore Harbor.

The Baltimore Harbor Report Card will help track water quality levels as property owners and city officials work to clean up the polluted harbor over the next decade.

The report card, which is being developed by the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, is being modeled after a similar tool the group created to score Chesapeake Bay water quality.

Research by UMCES’ Heath Kelsey, who is helping to design the report card, found that Baltimore Harbor water is safe for swimmers only 21 percent of the time because of high concentrations of bacteria.

Development of the report card is in the early stages, Kelsey said.  He expected it to be released in 2012.

The report card will measure specific indicators of water health like levels of nitrogen, phosphorous and toxic contaminants.

UMCES, in collaboration with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association’s Chesapeake Bay Program, developed the first report card program for the Chesapeake Bay, EcoCheck, in 2007.

-By Maryland Newsline’s Madhu Rajaraman

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The Health of the Bay

Tuesday, October 20th, 2009

What else needs to be done to improve the health of the Chesapeake Bay—-and to ensure the livelihood of those who make a living on it?

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Foundation Stays Suit on Chesapeake Cleanup

Wednesday, September 30th, 2009

The Chesapeake Bay Foundation suspended its lawsuit against the Environmental Protection Agency filed in January over Chesapeake Bay cleanup, according to a CBF news release Wednesday.

The foundation said it will hold the suit while it monitors EPA action on bay cleanup mandated by President Obama’s Chesapeake Bay executive order, which required that plans be made and executed for bay restoration.

“Since then EPA has  begun to step up to the plate,” said CBF President William Baker in a written statement.

“As many actions that should be included in a final settlement may not be resolved until EPA  has completed the notice and comment process and issued the final strategy in May, a stay is appropriate,” Baker said. “If, during negotiations, we do not believe that EPA is making the necessary commitments, the stay order allows us to reinstate our suit and proceed with litigation.”

CBF will stay the lawsuit until June 30, 2010, according to John Surrick, director of media relations at CBF.

- By Capital News Service’s Aleksandra Robinson

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Posted in Et Cetera, Health & Science | 1 Comment »

Cardin, Mikulski Secure Funding for Bay Gateways

Friday, September 25th, 2009

Sens. Ben Cardin and Barbara Mikulski, both Maryland Democrats, secured $1 million in funding for the Chesapeake Bay Gateways Network in a Senate appropriations bill passed late Thursday night.

The Chesapeake Bay Gateways Network includes more than 160 parks, wildlife refuges and museums centered around the Chesapeake Bay, as well as 22 water trails.

“The gateways program will help record our history, protect our bay, reflect our values and renew our sense of pride and wonder,” Mikulski said in a statement. Mikulski is a member of the subcommittee that funds the program.

The funding will also support matching grants of up to $100,000 from the National Park Service for accessibility and stewardship, according to the statement.

Cardin said in the statement: “The bay is one of our nation’s most treasured resources and the Chesapeake Bay Gateways Network helps visitors understand and appreciate the important role the bay has had in our region’s history and culture.”

- By Capital News Service’s Aleksandra Robinson

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