by Sienna Burns ~
~Nutrient Pollution~
Nitrogen and phosphorus are necessary parts of any aquatic ecosystem, but once out of control, excess nutrients become deadly to organisms. In the Delmarva area, the skyrocketing amount of phosphorus and nitrogen being dumped into the Chesapeake Bay are having disastrous effects in the surrounding environment.
Through contaminated groundwater, our bay’s beautiful ecosystem is being destroyed. Runoff, the source of the problem, flows from our properties picking up pollution along the way before reaching waterways. Fertilizers used on grass and gardening areas are carried to the bay and dumped into the water. Along with released water from treatment plants, large scale agricultural plants, and air pollution the amount of phosphorus and nitrogen accumulating in our watershed is alarmingly high. Due to these dangerous levels, algae is flourishing at faster rates and poses a threat to other organisms. Nature’s response is algae decomposing bacteria, which is great if it didn’t consume the oxygen from the aquatic environment and therefore deprive the surrounding organisms. This results in stunted growth, lack of nutrients, and a decrease in the population of organisms lower on the food chain.
Furthermore, excess algae and massive algae blooms block sunlight from seabed plants, preventing photosynthesis and killing them. With the ever increasing levels of these nutrients in our waters, dead zones form and our bay becomes devoid of inhabitants. In order to reduce our detrimental effects, we have to limit our nutrient pollution contribution. Instead of using fertilizer, use natural substitutes like compost which also helps reduce your waste footprint. Try to have fewer hard surfaces on your property like concrete which increases the amount of runoff. Also, you can plant shrubs, grasses, or other buffers to capture and absorb pollution that is normally carried off your property by water. The only way to decrease the nutrient pollution in our bay is to stop it at the source, in other words, us.
Our water source and the pride of Delmarva is being harmed due to our choices. Reduce your impact, prevent nutrient pollution, and save our bay. Simple substitutions and improvements to your property can make all the difference in the Chesapeake Bay environment. So next time you think about using chemical fertilizer, redoing your lawn, or not cleaning up, remember where it ends up and how it affects our environment before it is too late.
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