Welcome to one of the world's greenest buildings, the Brock Environmental Center.

Hey, Hales, did you know this is actually a living building?

A living building?

Listen, Michael, I know it's hot outside, but are you feeling okay?

I feel great.

Living building is actually a certification given by the International Living Future Institute.

The Brock Environmental Center is an international model for green buildings.

It even generates power.

In fact, about double the energy it needs to function.

Pretty amazing.

A living building may seem like an odd place for today's topic.

But stick with us.

This will all make sense.

We're talking about water pollution, and it's just ahead on "Spotlight Earth."

(upbeat music) We're at the Brock Environmental Center in Virginia Beach on the shores of the Lynnhaven Inlet.

This learning center was built by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation to provide educational experiences related to our awesome estuary, the Chesapeake Bay.

The foundation is a steward for a better bay.

They are working overtime to keep the Chesapeake Bay clean and solve the problem of pollution.

You see, we said it would all come together.

We're focused on pollution, specifically water pollution, especially water pollution as it relates to the Chesapeake Bay.

And although we're bay specific, the knowledge we gain today can be applied anywhere on Earth.

There are two main categories when it comes to water pollution: point source pollution and nonpoint source pollution.

Point source pollution comes from any single identifiable source from which pollutants are discharged, like a factory, a discharge pipe, or a drainage ditch.

Nonpoint sources of pollution contaminate water when snow or water moves over or through the ground and picks up pollutants from smaller individual sources.

Examples include over-fertilized lawns or crops, improperly disposed of chemicals, spilled oil from vehicles, and even pet waste that isn't disposed of.

Rainwater can pick up these items and deposit them into a body of water.

Waterways and water sources face many different types of pollution.

Some is quite obvious, some less so.

A nuclear power plant, for example, may use water from a local waterway and run it through pipes to help keep the nuclear system cool.

After the system's heat is absorbed by the water in the pipes, it is returned back into the waterway.

This sudden influx of warmer water is known as thermal pollution, and it can be detrimental to different species and the ecology of an area.

The warmer the water, the lower the amount of oxygen, which is detrimental to animals in the water who have very specific oxygen ranges and can't handle change.

Imagine suddenly raising the temperature of your house by 30 degrees.

Not comfortable.

If anyone touches a thermostat in my house, that friendship is over.

Oh, harsh, Michael, harsh.

Pollutants can also contaminate water through runoff from local land.

When land-based sources of pollution seep into the ground, the pollutants can be picked up by water moving through and across the landscape.

The type of pollutant, the type of rock or soil, how fast the ground water is moving, and the volume of water are all factors affecting the severity of the pollution moving from land into the water.

Wastewater seeping or flowing into fresh or ocean water is also a serious issue.

Most locations have complex wastewater treatment centers, but if those centers are not properly used or are overwhelmed with flood water, like during a hurricane, wastewater can make its way into waterways and larger bodies of water.

Sometimes wastewater pollution can close beaches and make the water unsafe for people, plants, and animals.

No such issues here.

This place is pretty amazing.

I'm gonna do a bit of exploring on my own and leave you all with Hales for the time being.

She's setting sail on an adventure of her own.

(bright upbeat music) So how amazing is this?

Big thanks to Chris Moore here.

He is a senior scientist at the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, and he is taking us out in the CBF boat, The Bay Oyster, today to take a look at the beautiful ecosystem that surrounds the Brock Center.

(upbeat music) So, Chris, this looks and feels amazing out here, but I know that it takes a lot of work to keep the bay clean.

Can you tell me what you do as a protector of the Chesapeake?

Sure, so my work focus is primarily on fisheries restoration policy in the Chesapeake Bay.

And I think that's really important because I feel like most people have their fondest connection to Chesapeake Bay through the food that comes out of it.

And the bay has always been a huge source of food, seafood, for this area.

So what kind of pollution issues are you keeping eyes on as a scientist in the Chesapeake Bay?

Primary pollutants to the bay are nutrients and sediment.

So things that in the right amounts are good, but having too much are are bad.

And so nutrients, nitrogen and phosphorus, they get into our waterways through a host of different sources and they cause algae to bloom during the summertime.

When the algae bloom in mass, kinda like plants bloom, they then die in mass and they cause the oxygen in the water to be depleted as they decompose along the bottom, so it basically takes away habitat from our fisheries.

So where do some of those sediments come from?

So sediments come from a variety of different sources in Chesapeake Bay.

Think about things like construction sites when we're building.

Think about our roadways and our lawns where we have sediment that can wash off during rainstorms and things like that.

Think about our agriculture operations when you have runoff from those type of operations as well.

So all those different sources can contribute sediments to the Chesapeake Bay.

And so what is CBF doing to counteract some of these pollution issues?

One of our most prominent investments is the education program that we run.

We also work through restoration.

Oysters are a great filter feeder.

They also create great three-dimensional habitat for species like blue crabs and striped bass as to live on.

So the more of that habitat we can create, one, we're gonna have better water quality, but we're also gonna have more vibrant habitat for those species as well.

We also work a lot on wastewater treatment plant upgrades.

So what comes out of our homes goes to those wastewater treatment plant.

So we work very hard to make sure we have good rules and regulations for those facilities.

We also wanna make sure that we have the right funding to ensure that those facilities can get upgraded and reduce their pollutant loads to the Chesapeake Bay as well.

And how can we be good stewards of our waterways?

Sure, so there's lots of different things.

Taking advantage of our natural resources, getting out biking, helping picking up trash.

We also have programs like oyster gardening where people can grow oysters.

So what would you say to like a middle or high school student who wanted to follow in your footsteps and do a job like yours?

We need engineers to help us upgrade our wastewater treatment plants.

We need scientists to help us better understand this resource.

You know, we have lawyers on staff.

We have to have folks who will help defend the laws at times.

There's such a host of different pieces that you can be in.

Take advantage of all those different opportunities and find the best fit for yourself is what I would say.

Chris, thank you so much for spending the day with us and taking us out on this field trip.

(bright upbeat music) As we head back into shore, let's check in with Michael, who will give us a historical look at the Clean Water Act.

Thanks, Hales.

The Clean Water Act was one of our first modern environmental laws.

Originally enacted in 1948 and amended in 1972 to add more safeguards.

Since the 1972 update, the levels of pollution in the US have decreased dramatically, but we can't rest on those laurels.

There is still much to be done and many goals of the act still to be realized.

Clean water is necessary for humans to survive, but our ecosystems also need clean water to be healthy.

As we've learned today, we all need to do our part to keep our waterways clean and healthy.

Organizations like the Chesapeake Bay Foundation and governmental intervention like the Clean Water Act are super helpful, but they only work if we're committed to the cause.

We've had a great time here at the Brock Center and learned how important it is to protect our vital waterways.

We hope you carry these lessons with you.

Thanks for joining us.

We'll see you next time on "Spotlight Earth."

(upbeat music) (gentle music)