Our Bay:The Dead Zone

By PAMELA WOOD, Staff Writer

Published 08/02/08

There are two dreaded words that pretty much sum up all that's wrong with the Chesapeake Bay: dead zone.

J. Henson - The Capital Pierre Henkart lowers a device for capturing water samples to a depth near the floor of the Severn River.

Though scientists say the term is something of a misnomer, it conjures a relatively accurate picture of what's going on below the surface of the bay.

The dead zone is a vast stretch of oxygen-deprived water that can't support fish, crabs, shellfish or even little worms. The root cause of the dead zone is nitrogen and phosphorus pollution that comes washing off the land.

"It's kind of the ultimate measure of our combined impact of nutrient runoff from all the watershed of the Chesapeake Bay,"...

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Why even have laws - 2008-08-11 15:25:23

Laws infringe on my freedoms. But they don't infringe on the freedoms of big business - the major organized crime gang responsible for corrupting democracy and the rule of law. But it is the way its always been that laws are to protect the rich against the little guy who might offend them. Nothing new here in the self-proclaimed greatest country in the world, which by the way many countries claim to be in some form or another. Keep your head down, pay taxes and watch scofflaws get exemptions you can't afford, by fee or legal fiat requiring expensive lawyers that have friends in whatever governing body presides over your project.

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William Small - Annapolis, MD - Karma: Bad

Great news! - 2008-08-06 14:15:01

I think we need to develop some more islands ..... just keep on building right over the 1000 ft critical buffer zone. Who needs zoning laws anyway? Don't tell me what I can and cannot not do on MY property! *rolling eyes*

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Kristina P. - Easton, MD - Karma: Bad