But providing each of these amenities exacts an environmental cost, and with it, responsibility for controlling the effects of our choices on the environment. In Maryland alone, some 10,000 businesses pretreat their wastewater before releasing it to local wastewater plants. Another 600 industries are working to do their part by controlling the pollutants they discharge directly into our streams and rivers. With more than 2.7 million acres of farmland in Maryland, farmers play an important role in protecting the Bay. Farm runoff containing fertilizers, pesticides, or animal waste can harm the Bay.
Farmers help the Bay by implementing soil conservation and water quality measures.
Best management practices give farmers ways to control soil loss and runoff from their farms. These include contour farming, vegetated filter strips, and animal waste practices. Effective use of these practices helps protect groundwater and surface waste from pollution. In Maryland alone there are over one and one half million households, and millions more throughout the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Whether you live in a house or an apartment, the choices you make every day affect the Bay.