Bridge

Chesapeake Bay History Timeline

By ashackelford

  • Oyster Dredges

  • Virginia Ban on Oyster Dredging

  • Maryland Ban on Oyster Dredging

  • Local Rivers are Dammed

  • Major Cities Dump Sewage into Chesapeake Bay

    Washington D.C., Baltimore, etc.
  • Period: to

    Coal Replaces Charcoal

  • Crab Scrapes Used

  • 60% of Forest Gone

  • 70% of Forest Gone

  • Sewage and Industrial Waste Reaches High Point

  • Population Reaches 3 million

  • The Federal Public Health Service Investigates Pollution from the Canning Industry

  • Baltimore Installs Wastewater and Stormwater Systems

    This filters out toxins before it goes into the Chesapeake Bay.

  • Crab Pots are Developed

  • Population Reaches 4.5 million

  • Farmers Relocate Crops to More Productive Land

  • Aerial Pictures of the Chesapeake Bay Show Underwater Grass Beds

  • Population Reaches 5.5 million

  • The Use of Chemical to Fertilize Crops Becomes Widespread

  • Improvements in Boats and Fishing Equipments

    This makes it easier for watermen to catch larger amounts of fish. This causes a decline in the population of fish.

  • Maryland and Virginia Create Water Pollution Control Agencies

    This helps monitor and reduce pollution in the Bay and its rivers

  • Many Wetlands Are Drained

    This increases the levels of nutrients, sediment, and toxins in the watershed. The water quality of the Chesapeake Bay significantly decreases.

  • Population Reaches 7 million

  • Clean Water Act

    The federal government passes the CWA. This law places limits on the types of things that can be dumped into rivers, and it requires new sewage lines and water treatment plants to be built.

  • PCBs are banned

    In 1979, PCBs were banned and can no longer be commercially produced.

  • Population Reaches 10.5 million

  • Oyster Harvest in Maryland Reaches All Time Low

  • Population Reaches 12 million