Our Bay: Attacking Highway Pollution

Part of bay's solution may be found on the road

By PAMELA WOOD, Staff Writer

Published 06/20/09

Thousands upon thousands of miles of highways snake through the Chesapeake Bay watershed and there's a steady demand from drivers for more roads and more lanes.

Joshua McKerrow — The Capital Traffic approaching the Severn River Bridge on Route 50 East backs up towards Route 2.

Now there's a growing movement to make sure all those highways minimize the negative effects they have on the environment.

Environmental advocates and state politicians are urging Congress to include new environmental rules in the forthcoming update to the federal highway bill.

"Stormwater from highways is a major source of impairment to streams and rivers and creeks and ultimately the bay," said Doug Siglin, chief federal lobbyist for the...

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Attacking Highway Pollution - 2009-06-20 18:35:34

Finally a federal bill to stop some of the most egregious bay waters pollution. A long time coming, after years of battling developers and mindless destruction of bay watersheds in anne arundel county and around the nation. Perhaps, they could install gutters under bridges and overpasses to take rainwater etc.. to holding ponds. The South River deterioration accelerated after road improvements to the overpass at Rte 50, and the Riva and South River bridges. Perhaps,now in bad economic times, with Obama's Stimulus money at hand, something good will come from all the pain. Too bad, these needed improvements didn't come before the damage. Like the pols said, it is less expensive to do the right thing up front, than have to clean up the mess later. Why then has it taken so long to do the right thing?? Certainly the science has been around for years.

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