Chesapeake Bay Water Quality

Septic Nutrient Loading - Excerpt from MD WIP III Plan

Groundwater Protection Begins at Home - Poster

The Piedmont physiographic province in Maryland is located between the Blue Ridge and Coastal Plain provinces (figure 1). The Piedmont is underlain primarily by metamorphic and igneous crystalline rocks, with smaller amounts of sedimentary rocks. Over time the rocks have been folded, faulted, and fractured to varying degrees, and the region is commonly referred to as fractured-rock terrane (Nutter and Otton, 1969). The boundary between the Piedmont and Coastal Plain provinces is known as the Fall Line, and it separates the hard, fractured rocks of the Piedmont from the unconsolidated sediments of the Coastal Plain.

Maryland’s Coastal Plain aquifer system lies within the Atlantic Coastal Plain physiographic province which includes eastern and southern areas of Maryland (figure 1). A relatively thick wedge of largely unconsolidated sediments underlies Maryland's Coastal Plain. The sediments consist predominantly of sand, gravel, silt, and clay, ranging in age from Cretaceous to Quaternary, and overlie consolidated rocks of Precambrian, Lower Paleozoic, Jurassic(?), and Triassic age (Andreasen and others, 2013). The sediments dip gently to the east and southeast with thickness ranging from a few tens of feet near the Fall Line to approximately 7,200 ft at Ocean City, Maryland (figure 2).

Groundwater is the largest supply of freshwater on earth, and the biggest source of drinking water for the U.S. This unseen source, which exists under layers of soil, rock, and sediment, contains significantly more freshwater than rivers and lakes combined.

Groundwater

Cleaning Maryland’s waterways one rain garden at a time. This new and improved “how-to” manual discusses the benefits of incorporating multiple small-scale practices into a rain garden design.

The AVMA, as a medical authority for the health and welfare of animals, offers the following eight integrated principles for developing and evaluating animal welfare policies, resolutions, and actions.

The objective of this document is to provide an overview of the most relevant urban stormwater management and watershed restoration issues, common mitigating practices, and regulations relevant to the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. Land use and landscaping practices can drastically change how water flows on the landscape and ultimately impacts the health of our streams, rivers, and bays.

Stormwater runoff originates during precipitation events when water flows over the ground. Impervious surfaces such as streets and rooftops increase runoff by preventing water from soaking into the ground. Water running over hard surfaces can pick up sediment, chemicals, debris, and toxins which are carried to local waterways. These pollutants prevent waterways from being fishable and swimmable.