Chesapeake Bay Pros And Cons

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Introduction When John Smith was first exploring the Chesapeake Bay in 1606 he wrote, “Heaven and earth never agreed better to frame a place for man's habitation.” As our nation has developed, the Chesapeake Bay has played a vital role in its history. Jamestown was the first permanent settlement in the United States by Europeans and key battles have been fought on the bay. Its economical importance cannot be underestimated with a value of about $1.144 trillion from industries such as seafood and recreational. Being the largest estuary in the United States it is an extremely important natural resource; however, as the population along the bay’s watershed has grown to 17.9 million and industrialization has occurred, the water quality of the Chesapeake Bay has quickly gone down. Currently, the Chesapeake Bay has a rating of 32 out of 100. The depletion in quality derives from the increase of nitrogen, phosphorus, and sediments being deposited in the water from the six states (Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Delaware, New York) and the District of Columbia which make up its watershed. The problem that arises with the restoration of the Chesapeake Bay is that only two of the state lie directly on the bay whereas the four other states and the District of Columbia would have little or no benefit from their reduction of pollutants. The…show more content…
The national government would be able to enforce every state to participate in cleaning up the bay and hold each accountable for fulfilling the would act as a coordinator between the states. While these programs set standards and place limits on toxins, they do very little to impact the damage that has already been done to the bay. The national government has very little power when it comes to implementing new procedures. National enforce everyone to work. Does not always have specified for the

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