USGS/EPA: Bay Water Quality Improving but Streams in Poor Shape

Health of Chesapeake Bay’s Streams and Rivers Slowly Improving, but Still Degraded in Many Areas

Almost 70 percent of the watershed’s 32 monitoring locations show decreasing nitrogen and phosphorus levels, meaning fewer of these harmful nutrients are entering the Chesapeake’s local waterways. Approximately 40 percent of the sites show decreasing trends for sediment pollution.

Although this data may indicate long-term improvements in the health of the Bay’s streams and rivers, pollution loads to the Bay were higher in 2010 due to more rain, snow and river flow.

“These long-term trends indicate that pollution reduction efforts, such as improved controls at wastewater treatment plants and practices to reduce nutrients and sediment on farms and suburban lands, are improving water quality conditions in many areas,” said USGS scientist Scott Phillips. “However, nutrients, sediment and contaminants will need to be further reduced to achieve a healthier Bay and streams.”...

...In a different, shorter-term study conducted between 2000 and 2008, the health of individual freshwater streams across the watershed showed mixed conditions. Of the 7,886 stream sites sampled, more than half (55 percent) were found to be in very poor or poor condition. The remaining 45 percent were found to be in fair, good or excellent condition.

This study uses data on the tiny, bottom-dwelling creatures that live in freshwater streams and rivers as an indicator of overall stream health. This method provides a uniform evaluation of the health of local waterways across state lines and throughout the entire Bay watershed.

This report is being flogged today in the Bay region press, mostly with a slant that the Bay itself is improving, but that streams are in bad shape:

Wall Street Journal - New data shows Chesapeake streams in bad health 

WAMU - Chesapeake Bay Watershed Quality Is Better, Streams Still Poor

BAYNET - Nitrogen and Phosphorus Levels Appear Down in Bay Watershed

Baltimore Sun - Though pollution trending down, most Bay streams still struggling

I don't have much to comment on here.  This is about my sense of what the world is like out there, too. While things aren't improving rapidly, some progress has been made. Unfortunately, All we've done is the easy and cheap part and the hard and expensive part is still to go.