Chesapeake Bay Earns A D+ On Latest 'report Card'

Chesapeake Bay gets a D+ on its latest report card

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The Chesapeake Bay's overall health score has remained unchanged since the last rating period in 2022, according to a new biennial report released Thursday by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation.

In the report card, the Gulf was awarded 32 points, no higher than D+ level. Of the 13 indicators reviewed, three have improved and three have worsened. Based on data and information, 13 indicators were analyzed in three categories: population, habitat and fisheries.

A recent report makes clear that climate change is making recovery difficult for the Chesapeake Bay. According to CBF President Hilary Harp Falk, agricultural pollution is a major problem with deforestation and increased development.

"Despite significant progress, many pollutants are still entering our waterways, and climate change is making the situation worse," Faulk said. "The good news is that the Gulf is incredibly resilient and there is a lot of energy around the table."

The notice states that blue crab and sea bass populations are threatened. Results from the 2022 blue crab dredger survey showed the lowest crab population in the Gulf in the 33-year history of the survey.

Meanwhile, numbers of young striped bass (sea bass) are low after years of decline. The report cited large-scale oyster restoration projects completed in eight protected tributaries in Maryland and Virginia that have created a "resurgence" in wild oyster populations.

CBF says that municipal wastewater treatment plants have significantly reduced pollution over the decades, but the biggest threat comes from agricultural runoff linked to the suffocation of algal blooms by manure and chemical fertilizers.

"Agriculture is the second largest land use in the watershed after forestry, and approximately 90% of the remaining reductions needed to meet the Chesapeake Clean Water Plan must come from limiting agricultural pollution," the CBF report states. "Furthermore, between 2013/14 and the most recent reporting period of 2017/18, approximately 95,000 hectares of land in the Gulf Basin were lost to agriculture and forestry."

The federal and state Chesapeake Clean Water Plan continues to be the most promising plan for restoring local rivers, streams and the Chesapeake Sea. Chesapeake Bay Foundation scientists assign a score from 1 to 100 for each indicator. These indicators provide an overall assessment of the health of the bay. Berry must score 70 or more to make a full return.

Particular progress has been made in Pennsylvania, where polluted water has blocked the Susquehanna River, the bay's largest tributary, the report said. In 2022, Pennsylvania lawmakers approved $154 million for a new farm cost-sharing program to help farmers reduce pollution while increasing productivity. The recently passed Federal Inflation Reduction Act provides USDA with $20 billion to support actions to reduce agricultural pollution across the country.

In 2022, Virginia passed a two-year budget with $280 million to encourage farmers to adopt leaner agricultural practices and about $190 million for urban drainage improvement and stormwater mitigation projects.

"Investing in crop protection practices makes economic sense," the report states. "For every dollar spent to help farmers implement practices that improve water quality in the Bay and its tributaries, the Bay Area receives $1.75 in additional sales and revenue. Full funding would bring $655 million to agricultural practices that reduce pollution to restore the Chesapeake." " Mr. : According to a report prepared for CBF by Environmental Economics, a research and consulting firm in Charlottesville, Virginia, the region's economy generates $269 million annually for businesses and workers.

Click here to read the full report.

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