Rona Kobell

Bay Journal reporter Rona Kobell has the results of tests of water quality in tributaries of the Chesapeake Bay, part of our look at recent controversies over the storm-water fees imposed on Baltimore and nine counties to stem polluted runoff into the bay.

Over the decades, millions of tons of polluted sediment have settled into the lake behind Conowingo Dam on the Susquehanna River, posing a massive engineering and environmental dilemma. But what to do about it? We examine that issue, along with the top environmental matters before the Maryland General Assembly, with Bay Journal reporter and Midday contributor Rona Kobell. Plus: winter wonders of the Chesapeake.

In our December edition of Midday on the Bay, environmental reporter Rona Kobell presents case studies in failed planning and bad ideas that haunt people and places in the Chesapeake region today: The unleashing of a home-building frenzy on Kent Island without a public septic system; the construction of a highway over the Jones Falls in Baltimore; the design of a stormwater system that protects our basements but delivers loads of pollutants to our rivers and streams.

As Ken Burns prepares to release his two-part, four-hour documentary about the ecological calamity that intensified the Great Depression, Midday contributor Rona Kobell looks at lessons learned about land conservation after the Dust Bowl. Our November edition of Midday on the Bay includes a conversation with Susan Shumaker, associate producer of  "The Dust Bowl," and a look at how Maryland and other states protect agricultural lands in the Chesapeake region.

The Clean Water Act turns 40 this month. Bay Journal staff reporter and Midday on the Bay contributor Rona Kobell examines how the legislation passed in Congress in 1972, its successes, its failures, how it is enforced today, how it suffers from continuous assault and what the November election outcome might mean for its future. Also, an interview with Oscar-winning filmmaker Barry Levinson about his newest feature film "The Bay."

Environmental reporter Rona Kobell, staff writer for the Bay Journal, returns for an update on hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking,” for natural gas in Maryland. A Montgomery County delegate wants the state to prohibit fracking until it can be done without harming drinking water. Plus, the case of Lake Bonnie in Caroline County; it became so polluted with sewage that the owner of the land filed suit against the Maryland Department of the Environment. And, how a company called Ecotone is helping to restore forests and wetlands in Maryland. 

Our monthly show with Rona Kobell of the Chesapeake Bay Journal. This time: Turning manure into energy, the legal battle over pollution from chicken farms, and a story about a place where there's been progress in the ongoing efforts to save the bay -- up beautiful Mattawoman Creek.

What will it take to make real progress in cleaning up the Chesapeake Bay? After decades of broken promises, is the federal government's new push going to be enough to finally make a difference? Dan and Midday contributor Rona Kobell, of the Bay Journal, speak with Rena Steinzor,  co-author of "Getting Serious About Saving the Chesapeake Bay," February Abell Foundation report, which examines efforts by the Environmental Protection Agency and bay states to improve the health of the Chesapeake.

Imagine living in a neighborhood where people check the tide gauges to figure out where they should park their cars, or where city leaders spend millions to raise streets. It's the reality in areas where the Chesapeake meets the ocean. The ground is subsiding and that, coupled with sea-level rise, is bringing record flooding and destruction to coastal neighborhoods. The flooding is happening faster than many ever imagined, and the problem is expected to get worse over the next several decades. The rising Chesapeake, a pressing problem with expensive solutions.