Measurements are commonly recorded at a fixed interval of 15- to 60-minutes and transmitted to the USGS every hour. conductance, temperature, dissolved oxygen, and percent These links provide summaries of approved historical daily values for daily, Learn more about how Maryland partners with federal, state, and local governments. Six pollutants are monitored more carefully than the others. U.S. Geological Survey Full Story ». Do not use the information on this website as an absolute source of 100% up to date information. The E.P.A. the help notes and particularly the The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and states, including Maryland, have monitored outdoor air for many years and have seen successful reduction in major outdoor air pollutants. and biological properties of water, sediment and tissue samples from Data include approved, quality-assured data that may be published, Like their air-breathing counterparts, fish, and other water-breathing organisms require oxygen to survive (leaving MDE). Please direct questions or comments to mde.chesapeakewip@maryland.gov​. and may represent the daily mean, median, maximum, minimum, and/or other derived value. Sediments transport other pollutants and cloud the water (leaving MDE), turning it a murky brown. Prolonged lack of sunlight can harm aquatic plants and ultimately result in their death if the water does not clear. Like over fertilizing weeds in a garden, this causes an explosion of algae growth, known as an algae bloom. STORET. "With 2016 marking the second warmest year on record, the higher temperatures provided fuel to increase the formation of ozone from the still under-controlled emissions of the precursor emissions.". While no one farm adds much pollution to the Bay, the cumulative amount of diffuse pollution has significant impacts on water quality. Maryland Fish Facts ... Pollution-tolerant species such as gizzard shad have been increasing in numbers in the Chesapeake Bay region since the late 1980's and may be indicative of reduced habitat quality in the Bay. Without sunlight, aquatic plants along the bottom will die. Privacy While the pollution sources are diffuse, the full amount of nonpoint source pollution that drains into the Chesapeake is significant and rivals that of point sources. These areas of anoxic water, frequently known as “dead zones,” are places where few organisms can survive and are the leading cause of fish kills (leaving MDE) in the Chesapeake. Unlike annual BMPs, they have the advantage of being “one and done." The Chesapeake Bay is an incredibly complex ecosystem; equally complex are local budgets and other domestic needs that elected officials must carefully consider. The information displayed on this website is pulled from recent census reports and other public information sources.

Excess nutrients in the water disrupt the energy flow in the Bay and can cause ecosystem collapse through a process known as eutrophication. Click here to read the full methodology. across the Nation.

If left unchecked, point source pollution is considerably more concentrated than nonpoint source pollution and can have a devastating impact on the environment. Air Quality Index: 87 [The Air Quality index is based on annual reports from the EPA.Higher values are better. The authors emphasized the need to keep the Clean Air Act intact, funded and enforced — something some lawmakers have targeted for repeal. "The spike in ozone demonstrates the public health impact of increased temperatures from the changing climate on the nation's air quality," the report said. Point source pollution is more concentrated than nonpoint source pollution. Factories, fossil fuel power plants, cars, and wastewater treatment plants are all types of point sources. However, because annual BMPs require an annual action or installation, they tend to be less efficient and more costly in the long run than structural BMPs.