BAY CLEAN-UP

[seasave]

We are looking for supports, volunteers, and any imput or donations, in order to Get'er done. Fix it once and for all. We believe it CAN be done in a very short amount of time. Contact us if this interests you. We will be planing a Bay Clean-up. Call for details.
We also dicuss issues on our non-profit web-site: http://www.worldsealifefoundation.org/index.html

[seasave]

BAY WATERS:

“Tell them to “STOP DUMPING CONTAMINATED SNOW INTO THE BAY“. It only takes ONE drop of oil to contaminate a million gallons of saltwater. The bay can NOT take all the gas, oil but also a drop in salt content (salinity). Did you not think of the results? Millions of creatures will DIE as a result of THIS action. The billions of dollars it has taken to clean the bay, we are appalled by this action. STOP! NO! DON'T. "They" are being allowed to dump snow containing gas, oil, trash, antifreeze, and God only know what else off of pier #5 of the inner harbor (Maryland)? WHY are they allowed to do this? Can we file a citizens arrest? Who is going to pay for this? The tax payers? Is there going to be a clean-up? Why are they allowed to dump contaminates into the inner harbor? Why, is the Department of Environmental control giving permission to dump contaminates into the inner harbor? “ No such thing as “Clean snow”, or is this “Do as I say not as I do”.

PLEASE: Copy - paste this letter and join our efforts to get them to STOP!

To take action:
WEB-SITE: https://baltimore.customerservicerequest.org
E-MAIL: mayor@baltimorecity.gov

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinio ... 9064.story

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryla ... 7341.story



Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, Mayor
City Hall, Room 250
100 N. Holliday Street
Baltimore, Maryland 21202
Phone (410) 396-3835
Fax (410) 576-9425

Hypocrites?

Donate billions of dollars to organizations who do NOTHING! To take surveys, to pad their pockets or to sit on them. We are to recycle, yet they are allowed to dump billions, maybe trillions of gallons of sludge into the inner harbor? What sense does this make? We need to stand up to this type of double standards. “WE” can not dump gas, oil, antifreeze, trash into the bay, but THEY can? Who’s making these laws anyway? Who is allowed to break them? We need million dollar grants and more money to clean the bay, yet The Maryland Department of Environment says THEY gave the city permission to dump it there. Who are “THEY” to give the permission to dump all these contaminates into the inner harbor (off pier # 5) with profound and damaging consequences for ecosystems? In an effort to raise awareness of the destruction to the natural world caused by human activity.
We need to flood the mayor’s, the governor’s and city official offices with e-mails and/or phone calls. I know, It’s like calling 911 on the cops. I called to report illegal dumping and they told me to “Call back Tuesday“. Today (being Thursday) by Tuesday “THEY” will be done. The damage will have been done! WE can’t dump it down the drain, down the sewers, but they can dump it directly into the bay? Who says they have the permission to break their own laws. Good for some but no for all. Why do we have laws to protect these creatures if we are just going to ignore them?. Call, Fax, E-mail, text. Together we CAN make a difference!

President,
World Sea Life Foundation & Sea Save Inc.
7572 - Ritchie Hwy.
Glen Burnie, MD. 21061
410-766-8888

Baltimore Resident Office
Name of Task Force Maryland Environmental Crimes Task Force
Geographic Area State of Maryland
Telephone Number (215) 814-2360
Frequency of Meetings Quarterly
Participants U.S. Attorneys Office, Department of Justice - Environmental Crimes Section, Coast Guard Investigative Service, Maryland Department of the Environment, Maryland Attorney Generals Office

http://www.wusa9.com/news/living_green_ ... ryid=97043

This Message is for Mr. Alex Demetrick.

I would request the TRUTH to be told about the impact of dumping CONTAMINATED snow in the bay. I am a saltwater specialist, the President of SEA SAVE INC. and the founder of the WORLD SEA LIFE FOUNDATION.

In the first place the "salt" that road-salt is made of is not even close to sea-salt, it‘s not the same salt. In the second place we monitor the salinity in the bay and it is too low. The addition of more freshwater will drop it to dangerous levels. If the snow is left to melt normally the water evaporates and melts, NOT the salt. Meaning only the water gets filtered by the ground and ends up in the bay. The salt and the contaminates are left behind. If a thunder storm comes and washes the whole bay out that's a natural process not man made like depositing tons of contaminated freshwater directly into the bay to sit there and melt.
In addition, what they are really trying to do is take the focus off the contaminates in the snow. Such as... oil, gas, asphalt, trash, antifreeze, hydraulic fluid, and who knows what else. Why would a bay foundation that is suppose to protect the bay at all cost, above all else, say “it’s okay” to dump ANYTHING in the bay. What is Beth McGee a doctor of? Old school? Politics? Or just plain job security? Can she even keep a saltwater creature alive? What is the math? How many tons of snow converted into how many gallons of water divided into the volume of the bay? They just can’t say “It’s okay” Why don’t they sample the snow?
Why don’t we take a few samples of melted snow and see (test) what’s left? Oh, wait they probably spent 20 mil. on that last year. I have approached the Bay Foundation with real, practical ideas and was told that they really didn’t want to permanently fix the problem in the bay because like everything else in America today it’s become all about greed, lies and money. Americans want the “TRUTH” Do the right thing because it’s the right thing to do!

http://wjz.com/local/salt.baltimore.har ... 88525.html

CHANNEL WJZ 13 WROTE:

Alex DeMetrick looks at what impact that convenience might have down the road.

This winter, what can't be tucked away must be trucked away. Vacant lots and parks are taking on a lot of the scooped up snow, and so is the water.
In Baltimore, tons of snow are going into the Inner Harbor around the clock, and with it, the residue of tons of road salt.
Wherever Maryland communities are using water as a disposal site, it all eventually runs downstream into the Chesapeake Bay. So can the Bay take it?
"The harbor itself is already salty, so that's not much of a concern. Obviously, there's a lot of fresh water, but I wouldn't expect that would be any different than a summer thunderstorm, where you get a lot of fresh water coming into the harbor all at once," said Dr. Beth McGee, Chesapeake Bay Foundation.
While salt may have little impact, a quick thaw from a heavy rain would mean trouble. That kind of super-charged runoff and the flooding it brings has happened before.
A week after the blizzard of 1996--a previous record holder for snow--a warm rain brought a torrent of ice flows and mud into Port Deposit, damaging boats and homes and forcing the town to evacuate.
The Chesapeake Bay also took a hit, as the flood carried heavy loads of sediment and nutrient pollution, which are key ingredients for poor water quality.
So while we may dream of warmer weather, too much too soon could create a whole new nightmare.

[seasave]

I am profoundly disapointed in the Chesapeake Bay Foundation for endorsing the dumping of contaminates in the the Bay. All the money and efforts of those who REALLY care about the enviornment and the bay has now washed out to Sea.
They quote: "The city has obtained a permit from the Maryland Department of the Environment to dump snow in the Inner Harbor.
According to MDE guidelines, "relatively clean snow removed from paved areas ... may be placed into large tidal water bodies (for example, Baltimore Harbor or the Potomac River near the Woodrow Wilson Bridge) without causing adverse environmental impact." The Baltimore Sun
What about all of those who have donated thousands of dolllars to CLEAN the bay. What about the laws. There also are laws in place to KEEP any body else from dumping.
There ARE other places for them to dump all this snow. Kudos to those who have figured it out. (Parking lots, parks, etc:)
Chesapeake Bay claims they want to help "restore" the bay and offer (Bay advocate course) Also state Developers who profit from the bay should save it. Feb 14, 2010 story / Baltimore Sun- It's disappointing to hear so much rhetoric coming from members of the development community and some local politicians over new storm water rules in Maryland ("A threat to Smart Growth" Feb. 2). The plain truth is that developers appreciate clean... READ MORE:http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/readersrespond/bal-stormwaterletter0212,0,3172672.story
"The harbor itself is already salty, so that's not much of a concern. Obviously, there's a lot of fresh water, but I wouldn't expect that would be any different than a summer thunderstorm, where you get a lot of fresh water coming into the harbor all at once," said Dr. Beth McGee, Chesapeake Bay Foundation. http://wjz.com/local/salt.baltimore.har ... 88525.html They also went on to say: The Chesapeake Bay also took a hit, as the flood carried heavy loads of sediment and nutrient pollution, which are key ingredients for poor water quality.
In my opinion they just contradicted their self. What type of impact is this going to have on our Oceans while all these contaminates of carried throughout the Allantic Ocean?

[seasave]

QUESTION: ROAD SALT VS SEA SALT

Hello:

First, don't assume that road salt is sodium chloride. While that would have been true maybe 10 years ago nowadays road salt can be Calcium chloride, magnesium chloride or potassium chloride. The reason is environment concerns with the amount of sodium entering various waters so in answer to your question is it safe for the environment - many would say no, not in large amounts which can happen in severe winters.

But for this discuss assuming that the road salt is sodium chloride there are still many difference between it and sea salt. First, sea salts are not just sodium chloride - they are mixture of several difference salts and include calcium, magnesium, strontium along with buffers like sodium bicarbonate and boron. You cannot keep a reef tank with road salt as there is not enough calcium and magnesium for the corals (yes, you could supplement but that would cost more money). You also would have problem with Fish only tanks as saltwater need more than just sodium chloride in the water for physiological reasons.

Second, the sodium chloride used by almost all sea salt manufacturers is food grade or better. Road salt is industrial grade or worse which means it has a lot more impurities in it - like dirt, organics, and other undesirable materials. Putting impure road salt into your aquarium is asking for problems in terms of algae growth and scum in the water.

Hope this answers your questions.

Good fishkeeping.

DrTim's Aquatics

[seasave]

QUESTION: ROAD SALT VS SEA SALT

Hello Bambi,
Thank you for clarifying your intent. There is no formal chemical definition of what constitutes “road salt”, and even “sea salt” is a term that may be loosely applied to any number of products/formulations. What I can tell you is that there are salt mixes specifically formulated to sustain marine life, and that there are salt mixes meant to season food. The former is typically a blend of sodium chloride, magnesium chloride, calcium chloride, strontium chloride, sodium sulfate, buffering salts, and (often) various salts providing minor and trace elements, all at (presumably) specific ratios to reconstitute the chemistry of natural seawater; speaking for my company, and being the one who formulated our salt mix, this is the case. By contrast, the latter is typically evaporite (e.g. the salt that remains when seawater has been evaporated) that needs to meet Food Chemical Codex purity requirements, but may or may not originate in a suitable region in terms of the chemical profile of the salt. “Road salt” could literally be any blend of salts, with no consideration given to ratios other than to lower the freezing point of water and to be inexpensive. Good synthetic sea salt mix is not cheap to produce; road salt probably is. Any debate taking place as to whether or not road salt is a suitable substitution for synthetic sea salt is absurd; proponents for using road salt to sustain marine life have no experience whatsoever in this regard. I’m certain that the technical/chemical personnel at any of the major companies, worldwide, producing synthetic sea salt blends for marine aquaria will have similar remarks. Feel free to contact me should you have any additional specific questions.

Kindest regards,

Chris Brightwell

CR Brightwell
Marine Scientist
President

Brightwell Aquatics
115 Industrial Park Road
Elysburg, PA 17824
(v)570.486.4787
(f)570.486.4755
www.brightwellaquatics.com

[seasave]

QUESTION: ROAD SALT VS SEA SALT

Thank you for your questions. We do not recommend using
road salt in an aquarium environment. Most manufacturers
of road salt use a mix that inherently contains ammonia,
something that is very toxic in an aquarium setting.
Salts that are manufactured specifically for aquariums
typically will not (or at least should not) contain
ammonia. Please let us know if you have any further
questions.
Seachem Support 10208
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Seachem Laboratories, Inc.
1000 Seachem Drive, Madison, GA 30650
888-SEACHEM Fax 706-343-6070
seachem.com - jurassipet.com - watergardenoasis.com - avipet.com

[seasave]

BALTIMORE SUN

The city has obtained a permit from the Maryland Department of the Environment to dump snow in the Inner Harbor.
According to MDE guidelines, "relatively clean snow removed from paved areas ... may be placed into large tidal water bodies (for example, Baltimore Harbor or the Potomac River near the Woodrow Wilson Bridge) without causing adverse environmental impact."

[seasave]

ALL the water ends up int the Bay?

8. Environmental concerns -- All precipitation falling in the state of Maryland from Dan's Mountain near Frostburg eastward drains into the Chesapeake Bay. Whatever falls eventually melts, runs off and gets to the bay. It's a fact of life, so dumping in the harbor just speeds up the process in a local area with little or no harm.

You don't have to like it or enjoy it, just deal with it with good common sense.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinio ... 6410.story
Roy Whiteley, Bel Air

Send letters to the editor to talkback@baltimoresun.com.

[seasave]

C.B.F ‘S CLAIMS: THE DAILY PRESS

The Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF), with headquarters in Annapolis, Md., is the only independent 501(c)(3) organization dedicated solely to restoring and protecting the Chesapeake Bay and its tributary rivers. The organization's mission is to restore and sustain the Bay's ecosystem by substantially improving the water quality and productivity of the watershed and to maintain a high quality of life for the people of the Chesapeake Bay region. To achieve its mission, CBF seeks to reduce pollution, restore habitat and replenish fish stocks, and educate and engage constituents to take action for the Bay through blogs and other activism. CBF measures the health of the Bay in its annual State of the Bay Report. Fewer than one-third of the bay's water quality goals have been met, according to the 2006 report card from the federal- and state-funded bay program. More than half of the bay's tributaries carry warnings against eating fish because of chemical pollution. Over the course 2006, the critical habitat of underwater grasses declined to its lowest acreage since 1989.

http://www.dailypress.com/topic/environ ... 0021.topic

[seasave]

Okay, Let’s do the math. Approx. 2300 trucks of contaminated snow, per day lined up to the JFK multiplied by 7 days (we’ll give them the benefit of the doubt) = 16,000 trucks @ 20 tons EACH = 320,000 TONS = 640,000,000 LBS. = 80 MILLION Gallons of freshwater and one million gallons of contaminates.

Well once again, YOUR precious Chesapeake Bay was polluted right in front of you. You were given cancer (#1 in the country) in the form of polluted ground water and cancer causing Maryland crabs, fish and oysters. Where were the precious Bay Foundations? Right there telling them “It’s okay” http://wjz.com/local/salt.baltimore.har ... 88525.html . Go ahead and kill the bay. We don’t care, we got our money (Nice new building) & “JOBS” Job? What job? Exactly, They have NOT DONE THEIR JOB! What do you do with a company that doesn’t do the JOB they are hired to do? You get a REFUND!

UN-DONATE your money. Tell them you WANT YOUR MONEY BACK!

[seasave]

THEY SAY: Back when the Romans defeated Carthage to end the Punic Wars, the victors not only killed and enslaved their foes. They also spread salt on their farm fields, so that their crops would not grow.
So if even the Romans thought salt was the ultimate environmental insult, shouldn’t we be concerned today when we see trucks spreading tons of salt after snowstorms like the ones we just endured?
This fear of salt was behind an email that Bay Daily reader Jeff Benson wrote to me during the height of the storm: “WHY ARE WE LETTING BALTIMORE CITY DUMP TONS OF CONTAMINATED SNOW INTO THE HARBOR?”
As it turns out, people who live next to the harbor or the Chesapeake Bay shouldn’t be worried about salt running into these waterways, because they’re already brackish -- a mixture of salty and fresh water. But folks who live inland, near freshwater streams and rivers, should try to minimize their use of salt, because adding excessive amounts of salt to these bodies of water can kill fish and the insect larvae that fish eat.
And, under no circumstances, should people use lawn or garden fertilizer as an ice-melting substitute for spreading salt on their sidewalks and driveways.
This sounds goofy, but apparently a Washington DC television station was advising that people spread fertilizer as a “concrete-friendly” alternative to salt. The problem with spreading fertilizer is that it is not Bay friendly. Most fertilizers contain nitrogen and/or phosphorus, which stimulate excessive algal growth and low-oxygen “dead zones.”
These conclusions come from Chesapeake Bay Foundation senior scientist Dr. Beth McGee, a biologist who knows all about how nitrogen and salts affect aquatic life.
“Although road salt does contain some impurities, the main concern is within the salt itself, which is not hurting the Bay,” Dr. McGee said. “The concern is freshwater systems – ponds, lakes and streams. There have been studies done that show that elevated chloride (salt) concentration, from applying salt to streets, can be toxic to freshwater organisms.”
The challenge in avoiding the use of salt on roads, is that more environmentally friendly alternatives –- such as calcium magnesium acetate –- can cost up to 20 times more, according to a report by Tom Schuler of the Center for Watershed Protection. This substitute also melts ice and is less toxic. But in this economic climate, it is hard to imagine local governments being able to afford this kind of expense.
Also, Dr. McGee said, while it is good to minimize the use of salt near freshwater streams, it is also important to consider other issues during a storm emergency. “You need to balance public safety with the environment,” she said.
We also need to keep this snowmageddon in perspective. Dr. McGee said it is not clear that this melting snow will create much more runoff pollution than a rainstorm.
“Is it any worse than a thunderstorm in the middle of the summer? It’s not any worse than that,” Dr. McGee said. “We need to do a better job with storm water management, period.”

http://cbf.typepad.com/bay_daily/2010/0 ... .html#more

[seasave]

They are telling US what to do and not to do to try to minimize the real issues. Do as I say not as I do! The REAL problem is the bulldung. Telling people what they should not do. We know it WILL! BTW a good thunder storm does not get dump only over the bay and the 40 year old drains will loose some of the contaminates along the way. They just illiminated "storm water mangement by duming it DIRECTLY into the Bay.
http://cbf.typepad.com/bay_daily/2010/0 ... .html#more

[seasave]

"General Assembly targets road salt in drinking water"
http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/feature ... _road.html

[seasave]

Other Alternitives? YES, MANY.

Snow Melters, Harbor Used To Get Rid Of Snow. http://www.wbaltv.com/news/22547205/detail.html

Salt could be jettisoned from road cleanup menu.
http://www.gazette.net/stories/02122010 ... _32547.php

[seasave]

ALL the water ends up into the Bay?

8. Environmental concerns -- All precipitation falling in the state of Maryland from Dan's Mountain near Frostburg eastward drains into the Chesapeake Bay. Whatever falls eventually melts, runs off and gets to the bay. It's a fact of life, so dumping in the harbor just speeds up the process in a local area with little or no harm.
You don't have to like it or enjoy it, just deal with it with good common sense.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinio ... 6410.story
Roy Whiteley, Bel Air

Send letters to the editor to talkback@baltimoresun.com.[/quote]

A COMMON MISCONCEPTION! "ALL" the water does NOT end up in the Bay. Some of it evaporates, some seeps into the ground (and the 40 year old aquifers) and some in the Bay. They just eliminated those factors. So what do we do? Give up, just accept it? NO. If we continue to dump contaminates DIRECTLY in WILL have devastating effects!

[seasave]

ROAD SALT:
contains in excess of
20 trace elemental impurities, but routine standard salt
analysis measures only calcium, magnesium, sulfate and
water insolubles. Water insolubles consist of anhydrite
(anhydrous calcium sulfate), dolomite (CaMg (CO3)2),
silica and various iron and heavy metal oxides and
sulfides. Potassium Chloride is present at levels of 200 -
300 ppm and hydrocarbons at less than 50 ppm. Ammonia
(<10 ppm) and nitrates (<50 ppm) are contributed by
explosives.
Chemical analysis, moisture-free basis is:
Typical Range
1Sodium Chloride (%) 97.4 >96
Calcium Sulfate (%) 2.2 <3.5
2Other Salts (%) 0.1 <0.4
3Moisture (%) 0.15 <1.5
Water Insolubles (%) 0.3 <1.0
Sodium and Ferric
Ferrocyanide (ppm) 57 <70

1 By differences of impurities, moisture free basis (ASTM procedures),
includes potassium chloride
2 Includes one or more of the following—calcium chloride, magnesium
sulfate, magnesium chloride, sodium sulfate
3 At the mine

Thank you for contacting Morton Salt.
All salt may be considered "Sea Salt" since the salt deposits are from prehistoric oceans. However, you might want to check with local authorities before dumping anything into the ocean.
Also, if you are considering this option because you no longer need the salt there are methods to keep the salt from caking so you can use it next year.
I have attached the MSDS for our professional grade ice melter blend and the prodcut data sheet for the Bulk Safe-T-Salt from Rittman, because I am not sure what you have on hand.

For more information about road salt you can also check out the http://www.Saltinstitute.org

Sincerely,
Jason
MORTON SALT
Consumer Affairs
Toll-Free# 1-800-725-8847

[seasave]

Environmental Impact:

We are not happy with the results of this tragedy. These are issue’s that could have been avoided. Had the so called "experts" thought of simple "common sense" practices. We need to think of our actions BEFORE we "act" on them BEFORE we reap the results. They act out of Panic and fear, not common sense. People were so worried about being able to get to work, to school, to the stores Instead of the impact of their actions. We did try to DO something about it. We did try to warn the people. It just proves that you can tell the people the TRUTH, but it doesn't mean they have to believe it.

http://www.nbcwashington.com/news/Blizz ... on_DC.html