Chemical Pollution
75% of the Chesapeake Bay has been damaged by chemicals. These chemicals include pesticides (bug-killers), herbicides (weed-killers), medicines, cleaning products, road salt, oil from cars, antifreeze from cars, and anything people dump down their drains.
When people use pesticides (bug-killers) and herbicides (weed-killers)on farms and in gardens, rain washes them into streams and then into the Bay. The poisons kill plants and animals in the Bay. You should try to use as little of these as possible. Try growing plants that are native to Maryland, and you will not have to worry so much about weeds. Black-Eyed Susans are native to Maryland.
People think they should dump old medicine or chemicals like paint-thinner down the drain. When they do this, the chemicals end up in the Bay. Drug stores can tell you how to get rid of medicines, and Recycling Centers have places to get rid of dangerous chemicals.
People think they need really strong cleaning products. You can find cleaning products that are good for the environment instead. You can make your own cleaning products from things like vinegar.
Road salt washes off of the road. It washes into streams. Then it washes into the Bay. Some counties have started using a combination of sand and salt instead of just road salt. This helps reduce the amount of salt that goes into the Bay. Road crews can pre-wet salt so that it goes exactly where it is supposed to. Also, salting the roads just before the snow falls uses less salt than waiting until later.
Oil and antifreeze leak from cars that need to be fixed. Oil and antifreeze wash from the roads, into streams, and into the Bay. It can kill plants and animals in the Bay. People can keep their cars in good repair, and there will not be so much oil in the Chesapeake Bay.