Maryland Officials Criticize Upstream States For Bay Debris
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP/WJZ) -- Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan and other state officials have accused upstream states of failing to take responsibility for pollution that is pouring into the Chesapeake Bay, after last week's record rainfall.
The Republican governor noted the trees, tires and other garbage now floating in the nation's largest estuary. He called the situation "an economic and ecological crisis."
It's been a week of cleanup following a storm last week that led to high waters in the Susquehanna River and flooding in low-lying communities. The flood waters brought with it debris from states upstream as well as Maryland.
Comptroller Peter Franchot, a Democrat, says, "We're literally drowning in Pennsylvania's trash."
Hogan says the upstream states of Pennsylvania and New York "need to step up and take responsibility for their sediment and their debris that is pouring into our bay."
Exelon also issued a statement regarding debris in the Chesapeake Bay, saying they share the concerns of the public regarding safety and the health of the Bay:
As owners of the Conowingo Dam, Exelon Generation shares the concerns of the public regarding the safety and the health of the Chesapeake Bay, in particular the amount of trash and debris across the bay. Some of the debris entering the bay comes from upstream on the Susquehanna River watershed, which spans over 27,500 square miles of New York, Pennsylvania and Maryland, and passes through the dam.
Along with the 11 other rivers that feed into the bay, the Susquehanna recently experienced 10 times normal water flows and significantly more debris swept into the river and through the dam because of heavy rain. Although we seek to remove debris from the river safely and efficiently, we cannot remove all debris especially during flood conditions. We've removed more than 600 tons of debris that has flowed down to the dam so far this year and will continue to do so.
We look forward to continuing our work with local and state authorities to protect and restore the health of the bay.
Hogan chairs a panel of six states in the bay's watershed. He says he will raise the issue at a meeting next week.
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