But they'll do so only if convinced that they, too, will reap the rewards at home. Environmental activists along the Chesapeake would do well to remember their predecessors two decades ago, and pay court to their northern neighbors. There's a good case to be made. Nearly 2,000 miles of streams in the Susquehanna watershed are clogged with sediment, choking off use by anglers, canoeists and others. Silt fills in public lakes, triggers flooding and boosts highway maintenance requirements.
Municipalities spend far more to treat silty water for drinking than clean water.
Each year, farmers lose three to four tons of soil per acre to erosion, with a resulting loss in productivity. Sediment controls can resolve many of these problems. Everyone who loves the Susquehanna will enjoy the benefits. So will those who love the Chesapeake. She lives in Wynnewood, Pa., and has written about environmental issues for more than two decades.