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Chesapeake Bay in the Eastern United States has become the site of important debate on watershed level pollution management strategies recently, and a great deal of this has to do with the work being done by Waterkeeper organizations. Due to massive nutrient loading and subsequent algae growth, the Chesapeake Bay has fallen victim to growing “dead zones” – areas with extremely low dissolved oxygen conducive to fish and plant growth. The prevalence of these dead zones mean that the bay is producing only 30% of it’s historic fish stock, effectively destroying a thriving fishery.
One of the key sources of nutrients into the bay is agricultural runoff, and the Assateague Coastkeeper and Waterkeeper Alliance are committed to fighting it. Together, they have launched a lawsuit against a farm managed by Kristin and Alan Hudson under a contract to Perdue Farms. The suit alleges that this operation was home to a “pile of trouble” – a massive pile of untreated chicken litter which was leaking nutrients and bacteria into local waterways.
For their part, Perdue Farms argues that their management practices are up to established standards. Even if this is the case, they have launched a petition to “prevent the public disclosure” of the farm’s nutrient management plan. This petition effectively blocks a key piece of the Waterkeeper Alliance’s effort.
Nutrient management plans are key to responsible agricultural practices. Many of these large industrial chicken farms produce the same amount of fecal waste as a medium sized city (see Frontline link below), but are not required to treat it. At the same time, the huge scale of this type of farming means that the market for this litter has become saturated; what was once a useful fertilizer and valuable commodity has become a dangerous liability.
The key points being exercised in this debate are not unique to the situation in the Chesapeake Bay. Farms are a large contributor of non point source pollution for which there is not clear or easy solution. Proposals, including the idea of pollution credit swapping, have been put forward, but there seems to be no substitute for strong regulations with stringent enforcement.
And while the struggle to decrease harmful agricultural runoff continues, Waterkeepers are also working hard to point out that farmers are not universally in the wrong, and are often key defenders of our water resources. “Waterkeepers do not believe that farmers are the enemy” said Coastkeeper Kathy Phillips. “At the same time, she added, “we do not believe that those bad apples among the farming community who are likewise damaging public resources should be unaccountable simply because they are farmers”.
An excellent (and terrifying) April, 2009 episode of the PBS program Frontline, which outlines the problems in the bay and features interviews with Waterkeepers from the area, can be found here .