The Real Killer of the Chesapeake Bay

[Daniel1980]

Over the course of the last 2 decades, there has been a real emphasis on "Saving the Bay". Maryland and Virginia have put an obligation on their residents to pitch $ in.

Here's what I have discovered and I wanted to share it with anyone who boats and fishes on these waters to set the record straight. The real killer of the Bay is the Conowingo Dam run by Exelon Energy. They are almost wholey responsible for the diminished crab, game fish, and shellfish populations.

The Susquehanna river is separated from the headwaters of the bay by the Conowingo Dam. Over 55% of the freshwater that empties into the Bay comes through this dam. The problem is that the dam bottlenecks and regulates the flow to generate power at a critical point of the start of bay's ecosystem. Large amounts of polluted sediment coming from Pennsylvania and New York end up welling up at the base of the Conowingo Dam. It collects there because it cannot flow at a natural rate to dsperse evenly over time. Events like storms cause Exelon to open the Dam to prevent flooding. This causes a MASSIVE amount of sediment and pollutants to be released at one time....it kills and buries everything in the headwaters. This die off has a nasty negative effect on the bay multiple times a year diminishing water quality.

I wanted to share this because I have been boating on both sides of the dam and experienced this process first hand. It's really bad....really nasty. I had this epiphany and it bothered me because Exelon is side stepping their accountability each time they come up for license renewal to continue operating the dam. The residents of the surrounding states are bearing the accountability of this problem that was man made a long time ago....1926 to be exact.

 

[dwna1a]

At one point both MD and VA we’re going after Pennsylvania to stop the pollutants. Mostly from the farms, sewer and industrial areas. One of the biggest issues I can see is the over fishing of Menhaden. A very basic little fish that all the big fish eat. Over population of the Bay’s banks causing excessive erosion as the DC crowd wants better views so the cut down the trees that hold the banks. Golf courses and over fertilizing causing marine growth to choke off the grasses. The list goes on and on.

All but my grandmothers side had given up on the Bay’s wealth of seafood. Pushed out of the Stripper fishing, over fishing crab by commercial boats. Many of the Haywoods have started seafood farming. Soon you will see the boats of my kin be gone as well.

To me it’s very sad. Even Gywenns Island is disappearing. DC is buying them up and building McMansions.

 

[Njlarry]

Guess all that K street money flowing in from the whole counrty has to go someplace!

 

[Pirate Lady]

Guys, when i grew up in Cleveland, Lake Erie was horribly polluted, fish were all dead, nobody dared swim in that toilet. They said 5 states and Canada had too many differences to solve the problem. They were wrong. THEY developed a plan, made it work. Today Erie is clear, fishing is great, swimming is safe. It can be done to the Bay. Dont ask me how, my PhD is in another field. But its possible.

 

[spikedaddy99]

Pushed out of the Stripper fishing, over fishing crab by commercial boats. Many of the Haywoods have started seafood farming. Soon you will see the boats of my kin be gone as well.

To me it’s very sad. Even Gywenns Island is disappearing. DC is buying them up and building McMansions.[/QUOTE]


Stripper fishing??? Ha! I'm bringing MY POLE!!!

 

[dwna1a]

Pushed out of the Stripper fishing, over fishing crab by commercial boats. Many of the Haywoods have started seafood farming. Soon you will see the boats of my kin be gone as well.

To me it’s very sad. Even Gywenns Island is disappearing. DC is buying them up and building McMansions.

Stripper fishing??? Ha! I'm bringing MY POLE!!![/QUOTE]
Never even saw the mis spelling….bring your own pole and bait

 

[nealtrombley]

Guys, when i grew up in Cleveland, Lake Erie was horribly polluted, fish were all dead, nobody dared swim in that toilet. They said 5 states and Canada had too many differences to solve the problem. They were wrong. THEY developed a plan, made it work. Today Erie is clear, fishing is great, swimming is safe. It can be done to the Bay. Dont ask me how, my PhD is in another field. But its possible.

yep... just wonder how many jobs were lost ( still worth it) lot of that was industrial for sure always good and bad in everything.. we need clean water , better technology with manufacturing..
hate to see how the lithium battery era will pan out