If I were a farmer

[Bug Guy]

Skip,

Originally Posted by Skip

...Bet it could be done for $1,000.00 by using local volunteers. I'll put money people who live on the creek would do the sampling...

You'd think so, but experience has shown that volunteers generally do a poor job of collecting data because 1) they quickly tire of the work (don't work in the rain, go on vacation, etc.) and 2) they don't understand the system enough to consistently take the proper measures/readings/etc. required. In some cases, local people care a lot and do a great job, but not always.

Originally Posted by Skip

...Many water troubles are due to low O2 levels - pumping O2 into the creek at bottom sure can not hurt any thing. They need $150,000.00 to prove this ?

Actually, high oxygen can cause problems. Certain bacterial processes that help rid the water of Nitrogen require low oxygen (denitrification). If these processes are screwed up, the rivers (which drain over fertilized lawns) could end up doing more damage to the bay than if they were left alone.

This type of hard engineering for remediation is somewhat controversial. Scientists are generally split on the idea, but architects and engineers love it because it means more work (and money) for them.

It would be a guess, but I'd assume any significant upgrades to a treatment plant would costs in the millions at least (did a quick google search and found those types of numbers).