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Agricultural Pollution In The Chesapeake Bay

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‘Agricultural pollution’ is an umbrella term used to describe the sources of wastes, emissions, and discharges arising from farming activities, and includes, but is not limited to: livestock and livestock manure, poultry litter, chemical fertilizers, chemical pesticides, sediment, agro-chemicals, organic containments, heavy metals, and general farm procedures. This form of pollution greatly affects bodies of water across the globe. According to 2015 estimates from the Bay Program, “agriculture contributes 42 percent of the nitrogen, 55 percent of the phosphorus and 60 percent of the sediment entering the Bay,” making it the largest source of sediment and nutrient pollution in the Chesapeake Bay. Nitrogen and phosphorus are the two most common …show more content…

This occurs because excess nutrients can fuel the growth of algae blooms that block sunlight from reaching underwater grasses and, during decomposition, rob the water of oxygen that plants and animals need to survive. Certain species of algae that are common in bodies of water plagued by eutrophication can also contaminate shellfish. When consumed by humans, these diseased aquatic invertebrate cause paralytic shellfish poisoning: a potentially fatal disease. Unfortunately, though there are many drawbacks and negative effects on the water quality in the Bay, no real benefits are found in the water when agricultural pollution is present. The most destructive components of agricultural pollution are livestock manure, poultry litter, and chemical fertilizers. According to 2010 estimates from the EPA, “manure accounts for 19 percent of the nitrogen and 26 percent of the phosphorus entering the Bay” and “chemical fertilizers account for 17 percent of the nitrogen and 19 percent of the phosphorus entering the Bay.” These fertilizers are placed on fields of crops in order to increase total production of the aforementioned …show more content…

Most of Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Maryland; as well as portions of New York, West Virginia, and Delaware are a part of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed, meaning that runoff from those areas will flow into the Chesapeake Bay. Irrigation is used to aid crop growth year-round and during times of limited rainfall. However, many farms practice poor irrigation by overwatering crops, increasing erosion and carrying pollutants from all across the watershed into the Chesapeake Bay. Excess water can also soak into the ground and push nutrients into groundwater, where it can remain for

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According to Harrison Eutrophication is the excessive production of algae and higher plants through the enrichment of waters by nitrogen and phosphorus. Phosphorus in the form of phosphate is the limiting nutrient as the amount of biologically available phosphorus is small in relation to the amount needed for algal growth. Harrison states that sources of nutrients can be discrete, (sewage), or diffuse, (farmland fertilizers).

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One issue found is the creation of smelly phytoplankton that makes murky unclear waters along with aquatic impurities. Moreover, the reduction of growth due to poor light conditions and dying plants make it difficult for predatory fish to hunt leading to overpopulation. (Chislock, 2013) Eutrophication can be found in many of our water resources such as ponds, estuaries, and bays. One region with high areas with eutrophication is in a lake shared by Kisumu, Kenya and Kampala, Uganda.

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The oysters are an integral element in any saltwater ecosystem, including the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem. The oysters are a significant component of the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem due to their ability to filter particles from water, which results in a cleaner water quality (Jacobson, 2013). The bay is currently experiencing a long-lasting drought, and the Department of Natural Resources is concerned that such crisis will leave a repercussion for the Chesapeake Bay water quality. The salinity level of the bay has been greatly affected by drought, which is influencing the oyster population of the bay. Historically, the salinity level of the bay has been 10 to 13 parts per thousand (ppt).

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The marine life that was once present in the Bay a few decades ago have now decreased tremendously in size because of overfishing and polluted waters. The water of the Bay area now has gathered large amounts of pollution, debris, disease, and overfishing, which threatened the marine life. Chesapeake Bay is slowly decreasing in cleanliness and ocean life, which are essential to the Bay. What is this family doing to prevent the

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636 Words | 3 Pages

The algae washes up on shores and destroy the beautiful of the beaches. This also has a side effect on the economy. A nuclear power plant had to be shut down from the algae problem which has cost them hundreds of thousands of dollars per day.

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Animal waste runoffs or feedlots are farms that specialize in cattle or hogs. These animals are stayed in a very small area of land and they are raised on hormones and grains that make them big and fat for slaughter. Feedlots help provide a lot of protein in America but feedlots contain a lot of the animals poop and other bad substances that can pollute the air and the water with their runoff. Pros of having feedlots is that they produce meat that satisfies U.S. consumers, they’re efficient, and cheap. Cons of having feedlots is that manure contains nitrogen and phosphorus; if not managed properly, they can pollute the nearby lakes,streams,rivers, or oceans, and antibiotic use increases genetic resistance to bacteria in the human body.

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However, an overabundance of some nutrients, such as nitrogen and phosphorus, impairs water quality. “Agriculture is the largest source of pollution to the Chesapeake Bay and its rivers and streams.” quotes the Washington Post (Baker, 2015). About 50% of phosphorus and 40% of nitrogen dumped into the bay stems from agricultural runoff. According to the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, “Each year, roughly 300 million pounds of polluting nitrogen reaches the Chesapeake Bay—about six times the amount that reached the bay in the 1600s.”(cfb.org). The major sources of the excess nutrients comes from over fertilization of crops with animal manure seeping into waterways, and animals having direct access to waters where waste is carried into the watershed (Baker, 2015).

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Farmers began to grow their crops in San Joaquin Valley for more than 100 years. Farms in the valley produce mostly vegetables, fruits, nuts, and dairy and they are the main manufacturers in international markets and major suppliers in the United States (Hanak & Arnold, 2017). Farmers are using polluted groundwater to grow their crops and harming the environment by drying rivers and causing people to get health problems. The reason that there are pesticides in nitrates in groundwater in San Joaquin Valley may be the fact that there is a long history of farming and irrigation and generally permeable sediments (Burow & Dubrowvsky, 2014). The first organization that noticed the growth of nitrates in groundwater is the Regional Aquifier System Analyses Program.

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Rivers, specifically, the potomac river is main water systems that I have chosen to report. The potomac river surrounds multiple states including Virginia, Washington D.C. and Maryland is one of the largest rivers in the eastern coast of the United States. A report from the nonprofit advocacy group American Rivers, noted what locals have said for years: “that urban development is funneling tons of polluted rainwater to the river, that chemical fertilizer and manure from farms make matters worse, and that wastewater overflowing from sewers, along with pharmaceuticals flushed down toilets, contribute to dead zones in which marine life dies and might cause fish to switch sexes. Some male fish in the river mysteriously have eggs.”

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Farmers use pesticides and fertilizers to get rid of pests and help their plants grow. Except that all that runoff leads to one problem. It flows into nearby waters. For us, it’s Lake Erie. Lake Erie’s conditions were so bad in the 1960’s.

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Table of Contents Introduction 2 Background 2 Orica 2 Botany Industrial Park 2 Major Pollution Issues 3 Introduction Pollution is one of the most important environmental, social, and health issues in today’s time. It is crucial to address pollution issues because it is making Earth, our home, dirty and unsuitable to live in. The main cause of pollution is undoubtedly anthropogenic activities performed to meet the demands of the ever-growing human population. Activities such as agriculture, transport, urbanization, etc.

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According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), “U.S. marine aquaculture primarily produces oysters, clams, mussels, shrimp, and salmon as well as lesser amounts of cod, moi, yellowtail, barramundi, seabass, and seabream.” Although marine aquaculture can take place in the ocean, using cages on the seafloor or in suspended water columns, most of the aquaculture systems in the U.S. are man made on land, using a recirculating system that reduces and recycles water. But like other forms of farming, aquaculture can lead to negative effects on the environment. The impacts vary upon the type of organism being farmed/raised and the type of system being used. The core effects can be split into 5 different categories: 1.) biological pollution, 2.)

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There are multiple industries that waste, and pollute our fresh and salt water systems. One of the biggest industries in America that has this issue is the Agricultural industry, and there is a man who is trying to change this. A few years ago, I was watching Shark Tank on ABC and a guy by the name

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“ Natural gas industry has been identified as a major source of water pollution “ ( source 1 ). This quote from source 1 explains how out of all the ways of polluting the oceans, oil is always one of the worst. “ 8 million metric tons of plastic trash enters the sea from land every year “ ( source 4 ). This quote from source number 4 explains how every year tons and tons of plastic from land, gets into the oceans and continues to pollute. Garbage is polluting the oceans so much that the water is getting so bad, people are getting ill from drinking

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Aquatic littering can be further categorized into two main sources, namely, land-based sources and marine-based sources. Land-based sources that pollute the marine environment include local drainage systems, fleeting streams and sewage drainage. Industrial, agricultural and domestic activities also play a vital role in causing marine pollution.

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