Bay Health Continues to Decline
The health of 70% of all of the Bay’s harbors, coves and tidal rivers monitored by The Coalition for Buzzards Bay declined between 2002 and 2007 (click here to download PDF table of scores). Driving this decline is the continued expansion of nitrogen pollution from septic systems, inadequately treated wastewater, poorly-planned watershed development, and the use of fossil fuels and fertilizers. The impacts are becoming all too recognizable around the Bay - murky waters, floating and bottom-smothering green algae, bad odors, and the loss of eelgrass and shellfish. The recently analyzed 2006 and 2007 data was combined with the entire 15-year data set created by our Baywatchers water quality monitoring program to track trends and guide protection and restoration efforts. Despite the overwhelming trend downward, some areas are also showing how the Bay can rebound when pollution is reduced. “The good news is that our data show improvements to water quality in places where towns and communities have made efforts to reduce nitrogen loading to the Bay, such as in the Wareham River Estuary and in the East Branch of the Westport River,” said the Coalition’s Director of Monitoring Programs, Tony Williams. The Agawam and Wareham Rivers, as well as Marks Cove, which collectively make up the Wareham River Estuary, are all slowly improving according to the new data. “To see water quality improve in the Agawam River is an especially good sign, because the Agawam is one of the largest rivers discharging into Buzzards Bay and has historically ranked as one of the Bay’s most degraded systems,” Williams said. The marked inprovement in water quality is a result of an upgrade the Town of Wareham made two years ago to its wastewater treatment plant – incorporating a process that dramatically reduces the amount of nitrogen the facility discharges. In the East Branch of the Westport River likely contributors to the small improvements recorded include better farm management practices and stormwater remediation activities. “The long-term trend data captured by the Baywatchers volunteers allows us to to pinpoint where problems exist and determine the appropriate actions needed to restore water quality, ,” said Coalition President Mark Rasmussen. “These results are proof that when the right actions are taken to eliminate or reduce nitrogen input, even rivers in extremely poor condition will make a comeback.”
To determine the health of Buzzards Bay, Baywatchers (citizen volunteers participating in the Coalition’s Water Quality Monitoring Program) regularly collect water quality samples and monitoring data from May to September from more than 180 sampling stations throughout the Bay. Once all samples are collected and analyzed, according to five water quality indicators: oxygen, light penetration, chlorophyll a pigments, and nitrogen, the averages of these five parameters are calculated and transformed into scores for each river, harbor and cove. They are each then captured on a scale, or health index, where good water quality values receive higher scores (a maximum of 100 points possible), and poor water quality receives lower scores (down to 0). Overall, the small harbors on the east side of the Bay (Cape Cod) continue to show healthier conditions than the larger harbors and tidal rivers on the west side (Westport to Wareham). This is due to a combination of factors, including that the western harbors and coves have much larger watersheds. These larger watershed mean more human activity and greater surface flow and therefore more nutrients are flushed to these harbors and coves, adversely affecting water quality. Septic systems, wastewater treatment plants, road runoff, fertilizer use, and the loss of forests and wetlands to development all play a role in the decline of water quality and hinder efforts to improve the health of the Bay and its resources. The Coalition for Buzzards Bay continues to work with local residents, government agencies, and businesses to restore the state of the Bay. The Coalition identifies and advocates for solutions, such as wastewater treatment plant upgrades, community planning for sewer improvements, remediation of stormwater discharges, and best management practices for agricultural and lawn fertilizers to help reverse the downward trend that Baywatchers data is documenting in Buzzards Bay health. The Coalition is extremely grateful to the more than 700 volunteers who have participated in the Baywatchers Water Quality Monitoring Program over the past 17 years. Their dedication, time, and efforts are providing the data needed to protect and restore the Bay. If you would like to volunteer or learn more about Baywatchers, contact the Coalition Director of Monitoring Programs, Tony Williams, at 508-999-6363 ext. 203. More information about the Coalition’s Monitoring Programs is also available online at www.savebuzzardsbay.org. |
