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USGS Testifies at Congressional Hearing on Safeguarding the Chesapeake Bay

The U.S. Geological Survey testified on August 20, 2004, at the request of the Committee on Government Reform. The Congressional hearing was called due to recent concern that the Chesapeake Bay Program (CBP) was overstating progress about the restoration of the Chesapeake Bay. Of specific concern was the proper use of modeling and monitoring results that are being used to report progress in restoring water quality in the Bay and its watershed. Many of these concerns were from a July 18, 2004, article in the Washington Post discussing results from the CBP watershed model and monitoring data collected by the U.S. Geological Survey.

The Congressional Committee asked the USGS to testify about its role in providing data and analysis to the CBP in its mission to clean up the Bay, especially within the context of the Chesapeake 2000 agreement. The Committee also asked the USGS to discuss the role of USGS data in the issue of modeling and monitoring.

Since the formation of the CBP in 1983, the USGS has performed the critical role of providing unbiased scientific information that is used by our Bay Program partners to help understand and restore the Bay and its watershed. To support the technical needs of the Chesapeake 2000 agreement, USGS scientists work:
  (1) To improve watershed and land-use data and analysis.
  (2) To understand the sources and impact of sediment on water clarity and biota.
  (3) To enhance the prediction, monitoring, and understanding of nutrient and contaminant delivery to the Bay.
  (4) To assess the factors affecting the health of fish, wildlife, and their habitats.
  (5) To synthesize information and enhance decision-support tools to communicate results.

Information about USGS Chesapeake Bay Studies are summarized in primary documents-- our fact sheet on the U.S. Geological Survey Chesapeake Bay Science Program FS-125-01 and the U.S. Geological Survey Circular 1220 - The U.S. Geological Survey and the Chesapeake Bay -- The Role of Science in Environmental Restoration for additional information.

Copies of the written testimony of the USGS and the 10 other witnesses are available on the Committee on Government Reform WWW site: http://reform.house.gov/GovReform/Schedule/EventSingle.aspx?EventID=1276. The testimony helped the Committee understand the extensive amount of monitoring that is conducted by the CBP and its partners including the USGS. The monitoring data are used with model results to help the Bay Program partners assess progress in meeting the water-quality goals of Chesapeake 2000.

In addition to the House Hearing, the Senate Appropriations and Environment and Public Works Committees have requested that the Government Accountability Office (GAO) undertake a review of the CBP. The GAO review will:
  (1) assess the overall restoration progress reported for the Chesapeake Bay,
  (2) determine how progress is measured in the Bay watershed, and
  (3) evaluate the effectiveness of CBP efforts to ensure that proper measures are being used.

Some pertinent news articles related to the topic and the hearings include:

The Washington Post: Bay Pollution Progress Overstated: Government Program's Computer Model Proved Too Optimistic (7/18/2004) http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A57380-2004Jul17.html

The Associated Press: Senators Call for GAO Review of Chesapeake Bay Program (8/12/2004) http://www.wtopnews.com/?sid=245689&nid;=25

The Hampton Roads Daily Press: Hearing to examine bay cleanup monitoring (8/19/2004) http://www.dailypress.com/news/local/dp-63446bf0aug19,0,5193208.story?coll=dp-news-local-final

The Washington Post: Progress Minimal On Bay Pollution: Views Vary on Headway in Cleanup, But All Agree More Money Is Needed (8/22/04) http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A19946-2004Aug20.html

The Hampton Roads Daily Press: Bay program criticized as overconfident: Critics say important information is being left out of the group's computer model on the Chesapeake Bay. (8/22/04) http://www.dailypress.com/news/local/dp-64742sy0aug21.story

The Hampton Roads Virginian Pilot: Program admits errors reporting Bay’s health (8/22/04)
http://home.hamptonroads.com/stories/story.cfm?story=74659&ran=221264

The Richmond Times Dispatch: Support sought for bay cleanup: House panel told that fight against pollution requires more money and backing (8/22/04) http://www.timesdispatch.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=RTD%2FMGArticle%2FRTD_
BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1031777446701&path=!news&s=1045855934842

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