The superstorm known as Sandy has boosted river flow in the
Chesapeake Bay watershed, but favorable winds and timing meant
it did not do as much damage as some feared. Image courtesy
thisisbossi/Flickr According to the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), much of the watershed avoided
surge-related flooding during the height of the storm, as
northerly winds kept a large push of water from moving into the
Bay. While some locations did experience post-storm surges of
two to four feet, even the highest surge was about half of that
seen during Hurricane Isabel in 2003. Preliminary data from the
USGS also show that the accompanying nutrient and sediment loads
pushed into rivers from polluted runoff are not expected to
approach those seen in 2011 from Hurricane Irene and Tropical
Storm Lee. Nor is the flow in the Susquehanna River expected to
produce a significant scour of sediment from the Conowingo
Reservoir. While nutrients and sediment can disturb the habitat
of underwater grasses and marine