Groundwater and the Chesapeake Bay

Farmers in the Chesapeake Bay watershed are investing in putting best practices on the land to reduce nitrogen running off from the soil. But recently, scientists have been trying to determine if there’s a denitrification downside – if reducing nitrogen runoff is fueling its appearance as a harmful gas.   more . . .

We don’t like to think about what happens after we flush the toilet. But some scientists do. Maryland has 420,000 septic systems, and each of them delivers about 23.2 pounds of nitrogen to the groundwater every year. Researchers are looking at where that nitrogen goes, and how to reduce it.  more . . .

All drops of water may fall at the same rate, but where they land can determine how they’ll impact groundwater. Maryland’s 10,460 miles include a variety of subterranean formations, from the mountainous west to the looser, sandy soils of the Coastal Plain. Five regions, five different courses for water.  more . . .