Bad environmental news closer to home

The Susquehanna River is the largest source of water and nutrients (usually too much  of the latter) to the Chesapeake Bay.  And it would also be the largest source of sediments were it not for dams, most notably the Conowingo, that slow the flow before it flows into the Bay.  So, when the flow slows, the mud gets dropped on the bottom of the reservoirs.  Continuously.   And the problem is, the mud storage limits of the reservoirs are being reached.  To take care of this requires a lot of dredging, and then carrying the dredged mud somewhere else where it can get dumped.  (No, I don't know where that would be).  The problem with this situation is -- it costs money to do.  And as you might guess, governmental money to do this important and vital task to help keep the nation's most famous and largest estuary from becoming a muddy eutrophied swamp (eventually) is in short supply.

This is another thing that government is good for that we don't pay enough taxes to get done right.


Increased Sediment and Nutrients Delivered to Bay as Susquehanna Reservoirs Near Sediment Capacity

"The findings of this USGS study increase the urgency of identifying and implementing effective management options for addressing the filling reservoirs," said Bruce Michael, director, Resource Assessment Service for the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. "The Lower Susquehanna River Watershed Assessment study, a 3-year partnership of federal, state, private sector, and non-governmental organizations, is developing potential management options for extending the sediment-holding capacity of the reservoirs. The USGS information is critical for guiding the strategies undertaken by the Chesapeake Bay Program to assure that the actions taken in the watershed will serve to meet restoration goals."