On January 5th, in Travis Loop’s recent episode of his Waterloop video and podcast series, Loop interviews David Reed of the Chesapeake Legal Alliance who tells the story of three Maryland Waterkeepers’ ongoing missions to protect their waters.
The episode, #302 “Laws As Last Line Of Defense For Chesapeake Bay,” focuses on how Theaux Le Gardeur of Gunpowder RIVERKEEPER®, Alice Volpitta of Blue Water Baltimore, and Taylor Swanson of the Assateague Coastal Trust have gone from the waterways to the courts to protect the interests of the residents in their watersheds when the existing protections and regulations have failed.
Le Gardeur’s piece describes the ongoing struggle to protect the Gunpowder watershed from “unchecked development and failing stormwater controls” which have released tons of sediment into the Tidal Gunpowder River, smothering the submerged aquatic vegetation that provides habitat and oxygen to aquatic riverine life.
Volpitta relates the stories of how continuous monitoring of Maryland’s largest wastewater treatment plants allowed for quick response when systems suddenly failed and began discharging millions of gallons of sewage into the Chesapeake.
Swanson describes the effects of ventilating airborne ammonia from concentrated animal feeding operation (CAFO) chicken houses and how this discharge eventually makes its way, unchecked, into the watershed.
By describing the past, present, and on-going efforts of the Waterkeepers, Loop shows how, as Theaux Le Gardeur says,
“Litigation is the last step. So it’s not a hammer, it’s something where we’ve exhausted all those other actions or remedies and we move into litigation to right a wrong or to bring some fairness to the decision-making process.”
Check out the full video below:
Thanks to Travis Loop for his coverage of the many legal issues affecting the Gunpowder watershed, our local Baltimore waterways, and the Chesapeake Bay.