Fish, Streams, and Water Quality

Changes in nitrogen, phosphorus, and suspended-sediment loads in rivers across the Chesapeake Bay watershed have been calculated using monitoring data from the nine Chesapeake Bay River Input Monitoring (RIM) stations.

Prepared by Allen C. Gellis and John W. Brakebill, U.S. Geological Survey (March 2013)

As the largest and most productive estuary in North America, Chesapeake Bay is a vital ecological and economic resource. The bay and its tributaries have been degraded in recent decades, however, by excessive inputs of nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus) and sediment, causing poor water-quality conditions for fish and wildlife. Nitrogen and phosphorus cause algae blooms, fish kills, and poor water...

Fish kills, skin lesions, and fish consumption advisories have raised concerns about the health of fish across the watershed. The USGS is working to identify the multiple factors that affect fisheries including toxic contaminants, disease, pathogens, and poor habitat conditions.

The streams in the Chesapeake Bay watershed provide critical habitat for freshwater fish such as brook trout and migratory species such as river herring, American shad, and American Eel. These species have declined due to degrading stream conditions and barriers preventing migration. The USGS informs restoration efforts by (1) assessing habitat conditions and change; (2) the relation to habitat...

A STAC-sponsored workshop entitled, ―Lag-times in the Watershed and Their Influence on Chesapeake Bay Restoration‖ was held on October 16-17, 2012 at the Sheraton Hotel in Annapolis, Maryland. The workshop was attended by 48 invited participants, including 9 presenters. The workshop defined ―Lag-times‖ as the time elapsed between installation or adoption of point or nonpoint source (NPS) control...

USGS scientists have determined that high-salinity groundwater found more than 1,000 meters (0.6 mi.) deep under the Chesapeake Bay is actually remnant water from the Early Cretaceous North Atlantic Sea and is probably 100-145 million years old. This is the oldest sizeable body of seawater to be identified worldwide.

Pollution-reducing practices can improve water quality in the Chesapeake Bay and its rivers and streams, according to new research from the Chesapeake Bay Program partnership.

During the past 10 years, integrated studies of sediment in Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries have been carried out by a team of USGS scientists, in collaboration with researchers from several universities, the Maryland Geological Survey, the U.S. Naval Research laboratory, the USEPA, and other institutions. The USGS worked with these investigators to prepare a comprehensive review of sediment...

Chapter 4: Transport of Nitrogen in Ground Water The hydrologic pathways for nutrients have important implications for the lag time between implementing management actions and detecting water-quality changes in surface water. Previous USGS studies documented that on average, just over 50 percent of the total volume of water in streams is from ground water, with a range of 16 to 92 percent for...

Data show significant drop in nutrient and sediment loads

High-frequency nitrate-concentration data can be used to inform the development of best management practices to reduce nitrogen loading to Chesapeake Bay. Although nitrogen loads entering Chesapeake Bay have decreased in recent decades, they exceed levels that are compatible with a healthy ecosystem as a result of urbanization, agriculture, and other human activities in the bay watershed, and...