Debris Mostly Gone, Muddy Water Remains In Bay
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (WJZ) -- Tropical Storm Lee is now a memory but the storm is proving to have a lasting and very negative impact on the health of the Chesapeake Bay.
Mike Schuh has more on the mess left behind.
Seventeen times a year, the state travels the length of the Chesapeake to determine her health.
Dirt, trash and debris is in the Bay right now, thanks to Lee. A lot of it has moved on, but dirt and sediment are still in the bay. How much is unknown.
"We need to determine what the impact of this particular event had on the Chesapeake Bay," said Bruce Michael, Department of Natural Resources.
Officials are on a three-day mission to sample the water quality from the surface to the bottom, from Virginia to the mouth of the bay. They've been doing this since the mid-80s.
"Is it still going to have as bad of an effect as Hurricane Agnes? [Agnes basically] wiped out all the underwater grasses," Michael said.
Watermen and state scientists won't know about the impact on crabs and oysters until spring.
It looks a lot cleaner than it did even last week, which is good news.
That debris field from the storm is now in Virginia waters, nearing the mouth of the bay.
