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Guy Whitte
| | Posted on Monday, April 05, 1999 - 07:02 pm: | |
Authored by Dave Wilson of Coastal Bays Program.
Deadend canals, bulkheads and stone revertments are common sights along the shores of the coastal bays. They are also
common problems.
Tidal shorelines represent one of the most
valuable ecological niches, not only because of
the wildlife habitat they provide, but because of
the shorelines function as water filters and wave
absorbers.
This role is particularly important to the bays
behind Ocean City and Assateague. Shallow and poorly flushed, the coastal bays are highly impacted by shoreline degradation, especially when compared to the Chesapeake, which boasts a watershed 371 times larger.
These factors, combined with a coastal bays human
population expected to double by 2020, have sounded an alarm for alternatives to bullcheading and stone revetment (riprap) construction.
The reasons for the alarm are well-documented.
When tidal marsh or other natural shorelines are armored with wood or stone, shorelines lose their ability to absorb wave action. Without such absorption, sediments and other particles remain suspended in the water column instead of
dispersing on shore.
As a result, seagrasses and bottom-dwelling
organisms, both at the foundation of the coastal bays
ecosystem, cannot receive sufficient light.
Formerly sandy bottoms are transformed to mud, which
does not alow for bay grass growth. Oxygen levels plummet
in the wake of these changes.
Manmade canals and marinas in the coastal bays
provide the perfect example for these problems. Because the coastal bays are so shallow, the relatively deeper canals and marinas do not flush properly. A 1993 Environmental
Protection Agency ~tudy showed these areas in the coastal bays to be profoundly degraded with toxic chemicals and meta1s~ life~prohibiting oxygen concentrations and nutrient levels two times the coastal bay average.
In addition to water quality problems, the loss
of natural shoreline has also meant the loss of
important foraging areas for birds, such as egrets and herons, and for other animal species such as terrapins which lay their eggs on shore.
Over the next several years, the Coastal Bays
Program, with the help of a host of state and federal agencies, will be changing the way bulkheads and marinas are built. Retrofitting drainage from canals, interconnecting
canals to increase flushing and developing dredging management plans for each are also on tap.
Those who live on or near canals or who are
considering bulkheading can benefit from new Department of Natural Resources and Maryland Department of Engergy shore erosision manuals and financial incentives which wiil foster the use of native vegetation to stabilize shorelines. The
Coastal Bays Program will also be providing homeowners who live along canals with backyard management techniques which will improve canal health.
For boaters, slowing down around any shoreline, and discarding marine sanitation and fish remains outside of canals or marinas will also improve water quality.
Homeowners should keep in mind, too, that although stone riprap is celebrated as a friendly alternative to bulkheads, keeping shorelines in their natural state will always be the alternative which ensures good fishing and good living in this small East Coast estuary.
Dave Wilson who is public outreach coordinator for
Maryland Coastal Bays Program. Part of the EPA'S National Estuary Program, coastal bays cooperative effort between Worcester Counts Ocean City, Berlin and a host of state and federal agencies which are working together to produce bay management plan for the protection of the bays and coastal watershed by July 1999. Input from residents and various stakeholder groups, such as fishing, development, agriculture, golf and tourist industries, serve as the driving force behind the plan. |
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