Laws As Last Line Of Defense For Chesapeake Bay

What happens when laws designed to protect water fail — and what legal action does it take to set things right?

For decades, the health of the Chesapeake Bay has struggled because of three major pollution sources: stormwater, wastewater, and agriculture. These pressures send nitrogen, phosphorus, and sediment into streams and rivers that flow into the Bay, where they harm water quality and the environment broadly.

While there have been many solutions implemented and tremendous progress made across the watershed, there are still challenges that sometimes require a legal approach. In this episode, David Reed of the Chesapeake Legal Alliance shares a look at these three major pollution challenges through the lens of local riverkeepers in Maryland.

The story begins with Gunpowder Riverkeeper Theaux Le Gardeur, who explains how unchecked development and failing stormwater controls allowed sediment to smother vital habitat. Next is Alice Volpitta, the Baltimore Harbor Waterkeeper at Blue Water Baltimore, who shares how two of Maryland’s largest wastewater treatment plants fell into disrepair. Finally, Taylor Swanson of the Assateague Coastal Trust talks about the Eastern Shore, where industrial poultry facilities have created unregulated ammonia pollution.

They each share how legal action was the last line of defense for the Chesapeake Bay and local waterways.

waterloop is a nonprofit news outlet exploring solutions for water sustainability.