Water Quality Protection

All life within an ecosystem is dependent on healthy water. Water quality is affected by everything humans do, and don't do. Significant environmental impacts result from the more than 15 million people living in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Daily human activities, from fertilizing lawns to driving cars, to building homes and parking lots, have an impact on water quality.

Hundreds of thousands of rivers, creeks and streams comprises the Chesapeake Bay watershed. More than 64,000 square miles of land drain into the Chesapeake Bay and its rivers. There are several "sub-watersheds," smaller systems that drain into the streams and rivers that flow into the Chesapeake. Bowie lies within the Patuxent River sub-watershed.

According to the Maryland Biological Stream Survey developed by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, an index of biotic integrity (IBI) for freshwater benthic macro-invertebrates indicates that the condition of tributaries of the Patuxent River are testing at 70% Poor, with 21% testing at Very Poor water quality. IBI is a generally accepted gage by which to measure water quality and overall health of a given environ.

Water quality is determined by several factors. These factors include sediment, nutrients, water temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, and chemical contaminants. Although chemical contaminants do enter the watershed from natural processes, such as the weathering of rock, human activity contributes to a good portion of water pollution. Industries and wastewater treatment plants are not always the biggest source of chemical contaminants to the Bay and rivers. More than 60 percent of water pollution today comes from contaminants in stormwater run off like car oil, agricultural fertilizers, and failing septic tanks. Rain falls onto roofs, runs across pavement and into inlets to be diverted to stormwater management ponds or in some cases, directly into regional streams. Pollutants that rainwater comes into contact with between the time it leaves the sky and the time it enters the Bay diminish the overall water quality of the Bay.

Air pollution is also a source of the chemical contaminants often found in water. Manufacturing processes often involve the use of harmful chemicals. Also, many everyday household cleaning and pest control products are toxic. These chemicals diminish water quality. Fossil fuel emissions from automobiles and power plants also contain toxic chemicals.

In order to reduce chemical contaminants, communities are working to identify and target sources of pollution. Pollution Prevention, or P2, encompasses a wide range of preventative activities aimed at reducing waste at the source. Incorporating pollution prevention principles into the operations of government agencies, businesses, and residents will ensure better water quality for the Chesapeake Bay.

The City of Bowie and other government agencies have adopted policies that will begin to alter the way in which local governments conduct their daily business and review development/land use plans. Using Green products in our office operations will not only save resources, but will also significantly reduce environmental contaminants and improve water quality in the Patuxent River watershed, as well as in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Initiating Clean Air activities such as telecommuting, using Alternative Fuel Vehicles or environmentally conscious purchasing contribute to the overall health of our water, air and soil. Besides its policies, the City of Bowie is involved in two P2 programs that will benefit local water quality. They include the: