Chesapeake Bay

It's been two weeks since Superstorm Sandy swept through the East Coast, but many communities are still cleaning up the damage caused by the storm. Sheilah speaks with Noah Bradshaw, inspector for the city of Crisfield and Garrett County Administrator Monty Pagenhardt.

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."

Baltimore Fire Chief James Clack has been appointed to a new term, which means he'll lead the city's fire department until at least 2018. But he's received criticism for his decision to close disband several fire companies in the city.  We'll talk with him this morning.

The University of Maryland is developing a robot to explore the Chesapeake Bay's Dead Zone.  We talk with marine science professor Don Boesch, who says it's more like a drone than anything else.

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. 

"Pollution diet," "total maximum daily load," "watershed implementation plan" -- What is Saving the Chesapeake Bay for $500, Alex?

Rona Kobell of the Bay Journal returns for our monthly environmental outlook. This hour: the delicate condition of the hellbender and other "indicator species," and measuring progress in the multi-state effort to clean up the Chesapeake Bay.

How the City of Lancaster is going green in a big way to keep storm water and sewage out of the rivers flowing to the Chesapeake -- and what you can do about it from your own backyard, from rain barrels to water audits.

Storm water, we're talking storm water at noon on Midday -- and why it's a huge problem for the Chesapeake Bay. Plus: The cozy relationship between Maryland's governor and the lawyer for one of the region's biggest chicken producers, and an update on the remarkable efforts of the Back River Restoration Committee.  With Rona Kobell, staff writer for the Bay Journal.

Head chef Chad Wells of Alewife in Baltimore treats us to snakehead, the invasive fish that is said to be good eatin'. A snakehead taste test headlines this month's edition of Midday on the Bay with Rona Kobell of the Bay Journal. Also: the latest on the Chesapeake blue crab population.