What's new with . . .
TOXICS REDUCTION
IN THE CHESAPEAKE BAY REGION IN 1999
Status of Chemcial Contaminant Effects in
Living Resources in the Bay's Tidal Rivers
The Chesapeake Bay Program's toxics goal
is "... a Chesapeake Bay free of toxics by
reducing or eliminating the input of chemical
contaminants from all controllable sources to
levels that result in no toxic or bioaccumula-
tive impact on the living resources that inhabit
the Bay or on human health." The Bay Pro-
gram continues to take steps toward control-
ling and reducing inputs of chemical
contaminants to the system and toward better
defining toxic conditions in the Bay.
What's The Problem?
The nature, extent and severity of toxic
impacts vary widely throughout the Chesa-
peake system. A few areas called hotspots or
Regions of Concern have serious localized
problems, and some other regions, previously
thought to be free of toxics, have shown some
toxic effects. Overall, however, there is no evi-
dence of severe, system wide toxics problems.
Toxics Characterization Report
Released
In 1999, the Bay Program released Target-
ing Toxics: A Characterization Report—
A Tool for Directing Management and Moni-
toring Actions in the Chesapeake Bay's Tidal
Rivers. This toxics characterization is the
most comprehensive assessment to date of the
status of chemical contaminant effects on liv-
ing resources—its fish, shellfish and other
creatures—in the tidal rivers of the Bay. The
information in the report will help Bay Pro-
gram decision makers target specific tidal
rivers for management and monitoring.
Further updates to the characterization will
occur as data are collected. For a copy of the
report, go to www.chesapeakebay.net or call
1-800-YOUR BAY.
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Top Findings:
•	No new Regions of Concern. Three areas were designated in
1993 and still remain. They are the Elizabeth River in Vir-
ginia, the Baltimore Harbor/Patapsco River in Maryland, and
the Anacostia River in the District of Columbia. These are
areas where there are proven toxics effects in living
resources.
•	8 Areas with Low Probability for Adverse Effects. These are
areas where living resources are unlikely to be affected by
chemical contamination.
•	10 Areas of Emphasis. These are areas where living
resources may be affected by chemical contamination.
•	20 Areas with Insufficient or Inconclusive Data. Data were
inconclusive or insufficient to characterize a region into any
of the above categories. These regions will be given high pri-
ority for future characterizations and will challenge
researchers and managers to determine their status.
The characterization effort was designed to identify areas
where chemical contaminant effects to the Bay's living
resources occur or have the potential to occur. Human health
impacts from contaminated air, soil or water were not
addressed. Because potential human health issues are important,
state agencies have already looked at human health issues in the
tidal rivers of the Bay. Where human health concerns already
have been identified, appropriate fish consumption advisories or
other warnings have been issued. The results of the report
should not alter the current recreational or commercial uses of
any of the rivers.
Loading and Release Inventory Released
Also released this year, the 1999 Chesapeake Bay Basinwide
Toxics Loading and Release Inventory (TLRI) reports the chem-
ical contaminant loadings to the Bay and its major tributaries.
This inventory represents the most comprehensive accounting of
loadings from point sources from urban runoff, atmospheric
deposition, shipping and boating, acid mine drainage and
upstream sources. The loadings inventory, coupled with the tox-
ics characterization, will enable managers, scientists and stake-
holders to target toxics reduction and prevention activities
toward specific sources and chemicals in impacted areas of the
Bay. Major findings from the TLRI include:
•	Upstream point and nonpoint sources provide substantial
loads of metals to the Bay and tidal rivers.
•	Urban runoff below the fall line is a substantial source of
select organic contaminants (PAHs) to the Bay and tidal
rivers.
Of Note:
>- Bay Program Meets IPM Goal: Integrated Pest Man-
agement, or IPM, is a pollution prevention technique that
can help the agriculture industry and other pesticide users
to reduce their reliance on potentially harmful chemicals.
According to a recent agronomic crop survey, the current
Bay Program goal that calls for 75% of agricultural land
within the basin to be under IPM by 2000 has been met.
The survey reported IPM was practiced on nearly 3.9 mil-
lion acres or 79% of the surveyed acreage. The goal also
calls for IPM on 75%> of recreational and public lands,
50% of commercial land, and 25% of residential land.
Based on IPM requirements on recreational and public
lands, this goal also has been met. Bay Program partners
now are concentrating on meeting the IPM goal on resi-
dential and commercial lands.
Integrated Pest Management
Total Croplands Surveyed (MD, PA, VA)
-4.85 million acres


Year 2000 Goal: -3.64 million acres


Data collected prior to 1997


were estimated and are not


comparable to the 1997/98


survey data and were


removed from this Indicator.
i i i i i i i i i


I	1	1	1		1	1	1	1 I
88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98
>- Reevaluation and Revision Under Way: The Bay
Program is reevaluating and revising the 1994 Toxics
Strategy. The process, called the Toxics Reevaluation
and Revision, will lead to the drafting of a new basinwide
toxics strategy for the Chesapeake Executive Council's
endorsement in 2000. So far, input from more than 250
stakeholders from all levels of government; environmental
and public interest groups; research institutions; and
industries have been included in the Reevaluation and
Revision.
For more information on toxics reduction, go to
www.chesapeakebay.net/toxics1 .htm
on the Bay Program website.
Chesapeake Bay Program

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