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BALTIMORE AND THE CHESAPEAKE BAY WATERSHED

HISTORY OF THE BALITMORE INNER HARBOR1706 – Official Port of Entry for MD Tobacco Trade

1840s - Primary oyster canning industry

1900s – Steel dominated industry

1980s – National Aquarium and Harborplace opens

- One of two Eastern U.S ports to have water depth at 50 feet or more

- $3.2 Billion in annual revenue and local purchases contributed to MD economy

- Exports: Coal, corn, soybeans, lignite, coal coke, petroleum

- Imports: cars, trucks, iron ore, cement , machinery

- Untouched by 1930s depression

WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE NOW..

CURRENT STATE OF THE HARBOR

Very Poor Condition in:

- Dissolved Oxygen

- Water Clarity

- Nitrogen/Phosphorus

- Benthic Communities

- Toxicants

- Bacteria

- Moderately poor for the surrounding tributaries

- Sewage is a major problem for the Baltimore Inner Harbor - an ongoing challenge

THE FUTURE OF THE HARBOR?

SAVE THE HARBOR – HEALTHY HARBOR INITAITVEGoal: Make the Harbor swimmable and fishable by 2020

Similar to the Baltimore Watershed Agreement

- Signed in 2002, renewed in 2006

- Baltimore City and County agree to clean up the area to help restore the Chesapeake Bay Watershed

- Stormwater and Trash were major concerns

Methods to Save the Harbor:

- Trash Removal /TMDLs

- Education

- Funding

- Harbor Stat

- Stormwater/Sewage treatment

THE GLOBAL SCALE - WATERSHED MANAGEMENT

- Importance of Watersheds: why should we care?

- International Water Initiative (IWI) and the International Joint Commission (IJC)

- IWI introduced in 97 by the IJC- IJC was established by the United States and Canada

- International Conference on Sustainable Watershed Management

- There has only been ONE – September 2011- Next one is in April 2013

REFERENCES

Why Watersheds http://www.cwp.org/your-watershed-101/why-watersheds.html

Case Study – India http://www.mainstreamweekly.net/article516.html

Sustainable Watershed - http://igemportal.org/?Dil=1&SID=324

Integrated Water Management - http://www.cogesaf.qc.ca/rv-eau/en/home.html

IWI - http://www.ijc.org/conseil_board/watershed/en/watershed_mandate_mandat.htm

Baltimore/Chesapeake Bay

http://www.msa.md.gov/msa/mdmanual/01glance/html/port.html - Port of Baltimore

Restoration Bay: http://www.chesapeakebay.net/track/restoration

Healthy Harbor http://healthyharborbaltimore.org/state-of-the-harbor/history-of-the-sewer-system