Chesapeake Bay's health sees progress. Environmentalists say more must be done.

BALTIMORE - Despite significant progress on the overall health of the Chesapeake Bay, environmentalists say there's still a long way to go.

For the first time in 20 years, the health of the Chesapeake Bay has improved to a C+, according to the 2023/2024 Chesapeake Bay Watershed report card, released recently by the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science. 

"The 1600s, when John Smith arrived and the oysters kept the Bay clean, versus today," said Alice Estrada, the Annapolis Maritime Museum executive director.

A display at the Annapolis Maritime Museum represents changes in water quality in the Chesapeake Bay over the last four centuries.

"We are improving," Estrada said. "You can see the colors gradually improve."

The health of the Chesapeake Bay has come a long way since the 1900s. In 2022, the Bay scored a C grade.

"It's nice to see a little bit of progress and things moving in the right direction," said Joe Wood, senior scientist with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation.

Wood said upgrading sewage treatment plants along the Bay and its watershed helped reduce sewage pollution.

"In the last 15 years, we cut those numbers dramatically and it's had an immediate effect on the health of the Chesapeake Bay," Wood said.

As a result, underwater grasses are growing back.

"Grasses that require a certain level of clear water in order to survive and those are crucial habitats for many of the creatures we care about," Wood said.

But nitrogen, phosphorus and sediment from sources like stormwater runoff and agriculture remain areas for improvement, according to the Chesapeake Bay Foundation.

Wood says that's what is holding the bay back from making a major improvement and it will take collaboration from all of the states surrounding the Bay to make that happen.

"We need our leaders to step up and respond to that and to recommit and say we are going to get there," Wood said. "It might take a little more time but we're going to get there still."

You can read more about the health of the Bay and what's being done to improve it here.

Chesapeake Bay Foundation Vice President for Environmental Protection and Restoration Alison Prost issued the following statement in response to the report: 

"While a C+ is an improvement, it's clear that far too much pollution is still entering the Bay.  We can and must do more for the Bay, its rivers and streams, and the communities that depend on them."  

"Chesapeake Bay cleanup has made some tremendous progress, which can be traced back to the dedicated state, federal, and local partnership formed across the watershed. But there's still a lot of work to be done."  

"Restoration efforts will not meet goals to reduce pollution by the 2025 deadline. This puts us at a critical moment for the Bay movement. We'll be unable to tackle the significant challenges ahead unless governors across the Chesapeake Bay watershed publicly recommit to continue working together for a healthy Bay. Updating the Chesapeake Bay Agreement by the end of 2025 represents a critical opportunity for the partnership to set the stage for success."

"We have seen success in some areas. For example, there's been consistent recovery and improvement in overall acreage of underwater grasses, However, we're still less than halfway to meeting the Bay Agreement's goal for sub-aquatic vegetation. We've also collaboratively reduced nutrient pollution from sewage treatment plants that go directly into our waterways, despite population growth and climate change. However, nitrogen, phosphorus, and sediment from other sources, specifically stormwater runoff and agriculture, remain areas for improvement." 

"Preventing polluted runoff from entering our waterways will require immense collaboration between states and municipalities. But its multi-faceted benefits are well worth it.  People, economies, wildlife habitat, fisheries and more all benefit from a healthy Bay."

"Reports like the Comprehensive Evaluation of Systems Response, or CESR, show us there are approaches to Bay cleanup that could be more effective and efficient, and also help us optimize the use of resources. Revising the Bay Agreement as soon as possible will be critical to putting those lessons into action and extending our progress beyond 2025."