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Fish Populations Threatened by Highway Expansion
by
findingDulcinea Staff
Residents of Charles County, Md., are upset about plans for a highway that would threaten freshwater life. Development endangers fish habitats in many states.
30-Second Summary
The counties around Washington, D.C., are experiencing explosive residential growth, and one county’s plan to accommodate new commercial and residential buildings has residents, as well as state and federal officials, concerned. County officials have planned a four-lane road that would cross a creek state officials are trying to protect.
“There would be dire consequences on the quality of life in the stream,” said Paul Wettlaufer of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, according to the Baltimore Sun.
Balancing growth and the environment is an issue everywhere, and Maryland it is no exception. Another road project near Washington, D.C., has been in flux for years because of environmental concerns.
Development has led to fish being killed all over the United States. Sometimes, the cause is clear, such as in Grand Island, Neb., where more than 10,000 fish were killed last month because of pollution from the city’s wastewater treatment plant and a local company.
Other waterways are experiencing disrupted ecosystems as well. In those connected to Virginia’s James River, fish have been mysteriously dying each winter since 2004.
“There would be dire consequences on the quality of life in the stream,” said Paul Wettlaufer of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, according to the Baltimore Sun.
Balancing growth and the environment is an issue everywhere, and Maryland it is no exception. Another road project near Washington, D.C., has been in flux for years because of environmental concerns.
Development has led to fish being killed all over the United States. Sometimes, the cause is clear, such as in Grand Island, Neb., where more than 10,000 fish were killed last month because of pollution from the city’s wastewater treatment plant and a local company.
Other waterways are experiencing disrupted ecosystems as well. In those connected to Virginia’s James River, fish have been mysteriously dying each winter since 2004.
Headline Link: 'Highway Threatens Creek Filled with Life'
State and federal officials are concerned about a Maryland county’s plan to build a four-lane road to cross Mattawoman Creek. Mary Groves of Maryland’s Department of Natural Resources told the Baltimore Sun, “Mattawoman Creek is so important for us, especially in protecting the largemouth bass population. You can't afford to have any great impact there from development and runoff.”
Source: Baltimore Sun
Reaction: Thoughts on the road
The writer of the Baltimore Sun article above blogs about the varying viewpoints on the county’s proposed development of the wetlands. The county claims the project is "Smart Growth" because the southern part of the county would be left alone. Opponents say the county is just doing what is best for developers, as building “tightly around the existing towns of Waldorf and LaPlata” would truly be “Smart Growth.” The arguments also bring up the matter of jurisdiction: with the current policy delegating most of the authority to the local districts, development can continue unchecked throughout the state; but argue that local governments should be able to determine their own futures.
Source: Baltimore Sun
The proposed Cross County Connector would not only affect seven and one-half acres of the Mattawoman watershed, but would also encourage growth, says a statement on the Mattawoman Watershed Society’s Web site. “The growth inducing effects would magnify these impacts many fold.”
Source: Mattawoman Watershed Society
Related: More road fights in Maryland; concerns about fish elsewhere
Just north of Washington, D.C., opponents have fought for decades against a proposed 18-mile road that would connect Interstate Highways 95 and 270. Work started last year after a judge ruled the state had followed federal rules in conducting an environmental review. Opponents have asked the state legislature to stop funding the road’s construction “until its impact on global warming and the health of nearby residents can be studied.”
Source: Washington Post
“It is one of the largest on record,” said Nebraska’s Department of Environmental Quality spokesman Brian McManus, of an event last month that killed more than 10,000 fish in the Platte and Wood rivers. The state’s worst fish kill happened in 1993 when hog waste got into a creek. More than 50,000 fish died.
Source: Grand Island Independent, Neb.
“It's frustrating. Every time you find out a new fact, it kind of turns you back to square one,” said Scott Smith of Virginia’s Department of Game and Inland Fisheries in an interview with the Roanoke Times. Since 2004, there have been reports of dead bass in the James River and its tributaries. The reports occur around the same time each year, in late winter.
Source: Roanoke Times
This week government regulators meeting in Seattle will decide how much to limit salmon fishing in the Pacific Ocean. The Sacramento River, the main feeder to the Pacific for chinook salmon, had 775,499 adult chinook salmon in 2002 and it will have an estimated 58,200 this year. Scientists blame “changing ocean temperatures” on the large drop, not overfishing. Paul Heikkila, a third-generation salmon fisher and a retired fisheries biologist said, “In my lifetime, I can never remember it this bad,” according to USA Today.
Source: USA Today
A Feb. 28, 2008, article from findingDulcinea reported on a study demonstrating the long-term adverse effects estrogen from pollutants can have on fish populations. “The pollution killed many fish and disrupted reproduction in others. The sperm count of male minnows fell, with some even beginning to produce eggs in their testes,” according to Science Daily.
Source: findingDulcinea
“A vast array of pharmaceuticals—including antibiotics, anti-convulsants, mood stabilizers and sex hormones—have been found in the drinking water supplies of at least 41 million Americans” in 24 major metropolitan areas, according to a March 10 Associated Press article.
Source: CNN
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