Brian Barton
The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the United States, and its watershed includes almost two-thirds of Pennsylvania. The Susquehanna River, which provides about 50% of the bay's freshwater, is considered the most polluted river in the Chesapeake Bay. The river is fed by hundreds of thousands of streams and creeks, and it is impacted by agricultural pollution from Pennsylvania, which contributes to the high levels of nitrogen and phosphorus in the bay. These pollutants fuel excessive algae growth, blocking sunlight from reaching underwater grasses and creating an unhealthy environment for aquatic life.
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What You'll Learn
Nitrogen, phosphorus, and sediment pollution
Nitrogen and phosphorus are essential nutrients for the growth of all living organisms in the Chesapeake Bay. However, excessive amounts of these nutrients degrade the Bay's water quality. The majority of nitrogen and phosphorus pollution comes from sewage treatment plants, animal feed lots, and polluted runoff from cropland, urban, and suburban areas. Agriculture is the single largest source of nutrient and sediment pollution, contributing roughly 60% of the nitrogen and 45% of the phosphorus entering the Bay. The fastest-growing source of nitrogen pollution is polluted runoff, which can be reduced through local cleanups and the implementation of conservation practices.
The Chesapeake Bay Program has developed sophisticated modelling tools to track the progress of the seven jurisdictions that make up the Chesapeake Bay watershed in reducing nitrogen, phosphorus, and sediment pollution. As of 2023, practices put in place to reduce pollution have achieved 57% of the nitrogen reductions and 67% of the phosphorus reduction needed to attain applicable water quality standards by 2025.
To address nitrogen and phosphorus pollution, solutions include upgrading stormwater systems and sewage treatment plants, improving septic system operations, reducing fertilizer applications, and implementing conservation measures on farms. As air pollution contributes about one-third of the total nitrogen load, reducing emissions from power plants and vehicles can also help decrease nitrogen pollution.
Sediment pollution is also a significant issue in the Chesapeake Bay. This pollution can carry chemicals, oil, and other pollutants from streets and yards into waterways. To reduce sediment pollution, individuals can install green roofs, rain gardens, or rain barrels to capture and absorb rainfall and use porous surfaces instead of asphalt or concrete.
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Pennsylvania's agricultural pollution
The Susquehanna River is the largest tributary of the Chesapeake Bay, providing about 50% of its freshwater. The river flows past thousands of Pennsylvania farms, collecting agricultural pollution before reaching the bay. The Chesapeake Bay watershed includes almost two-thirds of Pennsylvania, and the state supplies half of the bay's freshwater flow and the largest share of its agricultural pollution.
Farms are a major source of water pollution in the Chesapeake Bay. Excess nutrients and sediment runoff from agricultural operations contribute to the poor health of the bay and its rivers and streams. High levels of nitrogen and phosphorus from fertilizers, wastewater, septic tank discharges, air pollution, and agricultural runoff fuel excessive algae growth in the water, blocking sunlight from reaching underwater grasses and consuming oxygen when the algae decompose.
Sediment runoff also clouds the water, further blocking sunlight and smothering bottom-dwelling species like oysters when it settles. Chemical contaminants from agricultural operations, including pesticides, pharmaceuticals, and metals, can also harm both human and wildlife health.
Pennsylvania is taking steps to reduce agricultural pollution impacting the Chesapeake Bay. Penn State's Agriculture and Environment Center is leading efforts to develop science-based solutions by bringing together farmers, industry, and government agencies. Pennsylvania farmers have implemented environmentally conscious practices, such as installing fencing along streambanks, manure storage units, and planting forest buffers. While improvements are being seen, continued efforts are needed to restore the health of the Chesapeake Bay and its waterways.
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Susquehanna River's role
The Susquehanna River is the largest tributary of the Chesapeake Bay, providing about 50% of its fresh water. It is also the source of drinking water for millions of Pennsylvanians. The Susquehanna River and the Chesapeake Bay are two integral parts of one ecosystem.
The Susquehanna River's drainage basin extends north into New York. The river's large drainage basin or watershed means that the pollution that flows into Pennsylvania rivers and streams ultimately finds its way to the Chesapeake Bay. The Susquehanna River and its tributaries suffer from pollution from various sources, including agricultural runoff, acid mine drainage, and polluted urban runoff. The river delivers about 40% of the nitrogen pollution, 20% of the phosphorus pollution, and a heavy load of sediment pollution to the Chesapeake Bay. The majority of this pollution is attributable to excess manure, agricultural runoff, and urban and suburban stormwater.
The Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) has been working on Susquehanna Watershed Restoration to improve water quality. They have invested over $25 million in helping Pennsylvania landowners, primarily farmers, implement conservation measures such as conservation and nutrient management plans, forested riparian buffers, streambank fencing, barnyard improvements, and field practices such as rotational grazing. Penn State University has also been working on bringing together farmers, industry, and government agencies to develop science-based solutions for reducing pollutants in Pennsylvania's watersheds impacting the Chesapeake Bay.
The Susquehanna River basin's "manureshed" management is key to reducing agricultural nutrient contributions to the Chesapeake Bay. By managing the Susquehanna River as a manureshed, the manure runoff problem can be diminished, and water quality can be improved. This involves matching areas of crop demand (nutrient sinks) with areas generating livestock manure (nutrient sources). Researchers are also investigating subsurface manure injection technology to keep nutrients in the soil for crop use.
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Chemical contaminants
The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the United States, and almost three-quarters of its tidal waters are considered impaired by chemical contaminants. These contaminants include pesticides, pharmaceuticals, metals, and other substances that can be harmful to humans and wildlife. The bay receives about 51 billion gallons of freshwater daily from hundreds of thousands of creeks, streams, and rivers that feed into it.
The Susquehanna River is the largest tributary to the bay, providing about 50% of its freshwater. Pennsylvania alone has 83,000 miles of rivers and streams, and the state supplies half of the bay's freshwater flow and the largest share of its agricultural pollution. The Susquehanna, along with the Potomac, Rappahannock, York, and James rivers, are the top five tributaries, contributing about 90% of the freshwater.
To address this issue, Penn State's Agriculture and Environment Center is leading efforts to reduce pollutants in Pennsylvania's watersheds impacting the Chesapeake Bay. They are bringing together farmers, agricultural industry groups, landowners, government agencies, and environmental organizations to develop science-based solutions. For example, researchers are investigating subsurface manure injection technology to keep nutrients in the soil for crop use. Additionally, farmers have funded and installed fencing along streambanks, manure storage units, and forest buffers to reduce nutrient pollution.
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Chesapeake Bay Program's Stream Health Outcome
The Chesapeake Bay Program (CBP) is committed to restoring streams through its Stream Health Outcome. The program aims to improve the health and functionality of 10% of stream miles above a baseline determined in 2008. The Chessie BIBI index is used as a management tool to track progress in restoring stream health across the Chesapeake Bay watershed.
The Chesapeake Bay watershed is a vast network of rivers, streams, and creeks that collectively contribute a significant amount of freshwater to the bay. The health of these waterways is crucial not only for the ecosystem but also for the well-being and economy of the region. However, pollution and human activities have taken a toll on the health of these streams and rivers.
The main contributors to the poor health of the streams and rivers in the Chesapeake Bay are nitrogen, phosphorus, and sediment. Excessive amounts of nitrogen and phosphorus fuel algae growth, blocking sunlight from reaching underwater grasses. When the algae die, they are decomposed by bacteria, which consume the oxygen in the water, leading to reduced oxygen levels that can kill fish, crabs, oysters, and other aquatic life. Sedimentation also clouds the water, blocking sunlight and smothering bottom-dwelling species. These pollutants enter the waterways through agricultural and urban runoff, wastewater, air pollution, and stormwater runoff.
To address these issues, various initiatives are being implemented. The Stream Health Workgroup is dedicated to coordinating expert input on restoration techniques, funding options, and priority targets for natural channel design. Local cleanups, litter removal, and reductions in polluted runoff can also help conserve the health of rivers and streams. In addition, farmers are implementing practices such as installing manure storage units and planting forest buffers to reduce nutrient runoff and improve water quality.
The most recent data for 2012-2017 shows a positive trend, with stream health improving by about 6% from the baseline period of 2006-2011. While some areas of the watershed continue to degrade, the overall percentage of healthy stream miles in the Chesapeake watershed was estimated to be 67.8% during the 2012-2017 interval. The Chesapeake Bay Program partners remain committed to taking specific actions to achieve high-level approaches identified in the management strategy and continue working towards their Stream Health Outcome goal.
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Frequently asked questions
The Susquehanna River is the largest tributary of the Chesapeake Bay, providing about 50% of its freshwater. It is also the largest source of agricultural pollution.
The main sources of pollution in the Susquehanna River are agricultural and urban runoff, as well as wastewater.
The reduced levels of oxygen and high levels of nitrogen and phosphorus in the water kill off fish, crabs, oysters, and other aquatic life.
Penn State's Agriculture and Environment Center is leading efforts to reduce pollutants impacting the river and the bay. They are working with farmers, agricultural industry groups, landowners, government agencies, and environmental organisations to develop science-based solutions.
Individuals can help by following safe disposal methods for chemicals and other pollutants, and by implementing measures to reduce polluted runoff, such as installing rain gardens or using porous surfaces.
