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In 2010, the Environmental Working Group, a research and advocacy organization, used Maryland soil sample data from 2000 to 2003 and calculated the percentage of soil samples in each county in the state containing more phosphorus than was needed for crop farming. Excess phosphorus levels were highest along the Eastern Shore, which state scientists largely attribute to the use of nutrient-rich chicken litter as a fertilizer for crops. In an attempt to curb the amount of phosphorus that ends up in the Chesapeake Bay, the state is trying to control those levels through new regulations. Click on a county for more information.

Reporting by Robbie Feinberg. Design by Marlena Chertock and Zainab Mudallal.

Capital News Service

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