Scientists: Storm damage to bay not bad

HAMPTON, Va. (AP) - Scientists say the huge sediment plume that formed in the Chesapeake Bay after Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee did not cause the widespread damage they had feared.

The plume stretched dozens of miles and was of particular concern to the Susquehanna Flats, the area where the Susquehanna River meets the bay. The Daily Press reports that scientists feared the plume would destroy underwater grass beds that serve as a feeding and nesting place for blue crabs and other organisms.

Virginia Institute of Marine Science professor Robert Orth said scientists were surprised at how much of the beds remained.

Oysters did not fare as well. One expert blamed the plume in part for nearly 80 percent of the bivalve deaths on the northernmost oyster bars along Maryland's Eastern Shore.

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Information from: Daily Press, http:// www.dailypress.com