Recent action

Reducing water pollution from chicken farms

The Maryland Department of the Environment has proposed new rules covering waste from poultry farms. The proposal seeks to reduce agricultural run-off pollution going into the Chesapeake Bay by setting restrictions on how manure and wastewater must be handled.

Agriculture is the largest source of nutrient pollution in the bay, adding 20 million pounds of nutrients per year in Maryland. Current requirements for nutrient management plans on farms fail to address pollution that is particular to large poultry operations.

Environment Maryland has worked through the stakeholder process to improve the proposal. We will continue to press for the rules to cover more farms, shorten the time that manure piles can be left uncovered, and increase the distance that manure piles must be set back from drainage ditches.

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Two bills could make Maryland summers safer

Marylanders will get more and better information about beach closings and sewage spills if Congress approves two Environment Maryland-backed bills this year.

The Beach Protection Act would increase water quality monitoring and public notification programs at swimming beaches and provide resources to allow the EPA to investigate the sources of beach water pollution so that it can be cleaned up permanently.

The Sewage Overflow Community Right to Know Act would protect the health of Marylanders and clean up our waterways by notifying the public whenever sewage is spilled. In 2006, more than 25,000 beach days nationwide were lost because of health advisories caused by sewage overflows and other pollution related problems. Environment Maryland is working to win congressional approval for these bills and get them signed into law before the end of the year.

Maryland’s residents would enjoy protections from pollution with passage of the Sewage Overflow Community Right to Know Act.

Mission statement

We all want clean air, clean water and open space. But it takes independent research and tough-minded advocacy to win concrete results for our environment, especially when powerful interests stand in the way of environmental progress. That’s the idea behind Environment Maryland. We focus exclusively on protecting Maryland’s air, water and open space. We speak out and take action at the local, state and national levels to improve the quality of our environment and our lives.

Credits

Photos:Paolo Vario*, StockExchange, StockExchange; Staff, DD T; Sharon D*, Maryland Department of the Environment, Jeffery M. Frank; Rob Pongsajapan, Amamda Boutcher. *Indicates usage under license from Shutterstock.com.

Editor: Brad Heavner.

Contributors: Jim Amspacher, Justin Boyles, Zach Cullimore, Matthew Curtis, Richard J. Hannigan, Sara Landis, Ethan Lavine, Jesse Littlewood, Leana Nordstrom, Jenna Perry Leschuk, Ryan Moeckly, Brittany Paris, Dan Platt, Nathan Proctor, Heather Shute, Drew Stephan, Jenne Turner.

Publications Director: Richard J. Hannigan.

Design: Public Interest GRFX (215) 985-1113