Va. Beach's Back Bay continues surprising rebound

[Blue_Tires]

Back Bay continued its remarkable recovery last year, according to research presented Wednesday, with more underwater grasses growing, fish stocks expanding, and ducks and other waterfowl returning in greater numbers.

Just five years ago, such news was almost unthinkable. Some local environmentalists worried that the shallow estuary wedged against the Atlantic Ocean in southern Virginia Beach might never recover.

But suddenly, conditions began to turn about 2005, experts say. Since then, they have slowly and steadily improved, resulting in more glowing reports Wednesday at the ninth annual Back Bay Forum, a daylong conference that used to be dominated by studies that showed the bay getting sicker and sicker.

The recent turnabout "directly demonstrates how Back Bay is capable of returning to its historic, pristine state," said Todd Barnes, president of the Back Bay Restoration Foundation, an environmental group that sponsors the forums.

Barnes recalled growing up on Back Bay in the 1970s, when fish were plentiful and the water clear, and how the system crashed in the 1980s.

"I caught more bass last year than when I was a kid," Barnes said. "It's just amazing to see the changes."

Scientists and officials cautioned that the bay remains a stressed resource. They said that three of its main tributaries - Nanney Creek, Milldam Creek and West Neck Creek - are polluted with bacteria and are on a state cleanup list.

http://hamptonroads.com/2010/03/va-beachs-back-bay-continues-surprising-rebound