Publications:
Fact Cards
 Buzzards
Bay covers 1,939 square kilometers and sits on the
southern coast of Massachusetts, just under the arm
of Cape Cod. The bay is a diverse habitat of salt
marshes, sandy beaches, eelgrass beds, small embayments,
tidal streams and urban ports. Bay waters are used
for shellfishing, swimming, boating, and marine transportation.
Taken as a whole the area is considered relatively
healthy, but the waters of the smaller embayments
are threatened by increasing amounts of contamination.
Pollution associated with residential development,
industrial waste, and sewage contamination, as indicated
by fecal coliform bacteria and elevated nitrogen levels,
contributes to declining water quality.
Facts About the Estuary
- More
than 236,000 people live in the watershed.
- Nearly
20,000 marine vessels pass through Buzzards Bay
annually.
- More
than 10,000 vessels anchor in Buzzards Bay each
summer.
- Cranberry
farms in the watershed produce more than 20 percent
of the world's
cranberry harvest.
- Buzzards
Bay is home to the world-renowned Woods Hole Oceanographic
Institute.
- The
combined quahog, bay scallop, soft-shell clam
and oyster harvest was valued at more than $6
million in 1994.
Health
of the Estuary
- Excessive
nutrient loadings are occurring because of polluted
groundwater and stormwater runoff.
- Bacterial
contamination resulting from improper sewage disposal
and stormwater runoff remains problematic.
- The
closure of shellfish beds and bathing beaches
has significant negative impacts on the local
economy.
Accomplishments
of the Estuary Program
- The
number of acres of shellfish beds closed due to
bacterial contamination has declined nearly 25
percent since the Management Plan was completed
in 1991.
- The
program assisted in the construction of a test
center to promote advanced septic treatment solutions
and established limits on the amounts of nitrogen
than can enter the embayments.
- The
designation of Buzzards Bay as a no-discharge
area should significantly reduce bacteria and
nutrient inputs to the bay from boats.
- The
program developed an atlas of 172 tidally restricted
salt marshes that will be tremendously helpful
in efforts to remove tidal restrictions and improve
and restore wetland health.
For
Viewing and Printing:
Before printing one or more of these National
Estuary Program files,
check out each of their text only versions for
quick viewing.
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from Adobe's site through a direct link.
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