Press Release- 2009 Bay Barometer

Response to the 2009 BAY BAROMETER
SHOWS NEED FOR CONCERTED EFFORTS TO RESTORE CLEAN WATER

Annapolis, MD – “The Bay Barometer is ultimately a reflection of how clean we keep our local streams and rivers that lead to the Bay,” said Coalition Director Hilary Harp Falk. “Clean Water is a shared responsibility, and the Choose Clean Water Coalition seeks federal leadership to make sure everyone is playing by the same rules,” said Falk.  “The people of this region who are disappointed year-in and year-out with the results of this report card need to contact our elected officials and hold them accountable for the repeated failure to restore clean water.” 

While the Bay Barometer shows that the conditions of our waters are still terribly polluted, success remains possible. Historic actions taken in the past year by leaders in the legislative and executive branches of the federal government are beginning to change the outlook, and the Coalition’s agenda for citizens and elected leaders in 2010 is three-fold:

•    Reform of the U.S. EPA’s Chesapeake Bay Program through passage of the Chesapeake Clean Water and Ecosystem Restoration Act (S. 1816 & H.R. 3852);

•    Strong implementation of Executive Order 13508 on Chesapeake Bay Protection and Restoration, with focus on water quality improvements from run-off from our cities, streets, homes and farms; and

•    Ensuring the cleanup plan for the Bay (Chesapeake TMDL) protects every stream throughout the 64,000 square mile Chesapeake Bay region.

“New legislation, combined with strong implementation of the Chesapeake Bay Executive Order and the TMDL cleanup plan are the three legs of the stool which make up Chesapeake Clean Water restoration,” said Falk, “without all three pieces, we will continue to have the same poor results year after year.”

The Choose Clean Water Coalition (www.choosecleanwater.org) is comprised of more than 125 non-profit and grassroots organizations from throughout the 6 states and District of Columbia that make up the Chesapeake Bay Watershed.  Combined, the coalition represents more than 1 million individual members.     
                                                                              

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