For decades, Gunston Cove, a small tidal embayment off the Potomac River, was simply a mess. Its summertime water was painted green by algae blooms that long ago had smothered the last blade of underwater grass.
Amid campaigns to clean up the Potomac during the 1970s, phosphorus discharges from nearby treatment plants, which fueled the blooms, were slashed. By 1980, the amount of the nutrient entering Gunston Cove had been cut by 90 percent.
Not much happened in the cove, which is located on the Virginia side of the river near Mason Neck. In fact, by some measures, the mess got worse, as dense algae blooms continued to coat the summertime water.
Scientists scratched their heads. "There was kind of a shock that went through the Potomac community at that point," said Christian Jones, director of George Mason University's Potomac Environmental Research and Education Center. "You couldn't even account for all the phosphorus in the algae from nutrient loadings. There was no way."
Ecological report cards getting good marks for attracting public's attention: Most kids with a bad grade on their report card are happy to avoid notice. But when rivers in the Chesapeake Bay region fail to make the grade, they often become front page news-and river advocates couldn't be happier.
Grave shape of Bay resurrects Capt. John Smith's political ambitions: It has been 400 years since he last held elected office, but Capt. John Smith is coming out of his political retirement and throwing his feather-adorned hat into the presidential campaign.
Scientists predict widespread low-oxygen conditions in Bay's mainstem: It's likely to be another summer of poor Bay water quality, according to the prediction by a team of scientists, who expect widespread low-oxygen conditions in the Bay's mainstem.
States seek to accelerate development of TMDLs, want 2010 deadline: Senior state officials signaled in June that they would like to accelerate the development of a new cleanup plan for the Bay.
Bay stakeholders taking first steps to offset 'nutrient footprints': When some corporations fly executives to meetings across the nation, they calculate the amount of carbon expended for the trip and buy "offsets" to erase the impact.
Books On The Bay: Bring a Book to the Beach, or Bring the Bay into Your Home with these Books
VA adds 1,100 miles of rivers to polluted list: About 1,100 miles of Virginia's rivers and streams have been added to the state's list of polluted waters in the last two years, bringing the total to 10,600 miles, state environmental regulators said in June.
House votes to maintain Gateways Network: The House overwhelming approved a measure that would help secure the future of the Chesapeake Bay Gateways and Water Trails Network, which links Bay-related historic, cultural and natural sites throughout the watershed.
Park Service adds 5 sites to Gateways Network: The National Park Service recently announced that five new sites joined its Chesapeake Bay Gateways and Watertails Network.They include:
