The EPA’s Chesapeake Bay Program announced today that states are continuing to make progress in reducing pollution to the Chesapeake Bay and its rivers and streams, according to the latest estimates from computer modeling tools.
Verifying these models through monitoring is vital to assessing the health of waterways. The Bay Program expects to further update its indicator tool with the latest monitoring results by July.
This comes as the Trump administration has proposed extreme budget cuts to federal agencies working for a healthy Chesapeake Bay, including the EPA, NOAA, USGS, and USDA.
Starting in 2010 under the Chesapeake Clean Water Blueprint, the federal-state Bay restoration partnership committed to a 2025 deadline for goals to reduce nitrogen, phosphorus, and sediment pollution to the Bay. The state partners are Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, New York, Delaware, and the District of Columbia.
While states have made notable progress on work to reduce pollution, particularly from wastewater treatment plants, efforts are lagging to curb polluted runoff from developed areas and farms. Even though they are expected to miss the 2025 deadline, states are still required to meet the pollution-reduction goals.
Chesapeake Bay Foundation Senior Vice President for Programs Alison Prost issued the following statement.
“The Chesapeake Bay cleanup has made tremendous progress thanks to decades of partnership at the state, federal, and local levels. But far too much pollution still enters the Chesapeake Bay.
“The Bay is facing growing challenges from climate change and development, and we’re seeing troubling signs from blue crabs, striped bass, and other iconic species.
“The Trump administration’s proposed budget cuts threaten to devastate longstanding bipartisan work to restore the Bay and local rivers and streams. Congress must step up, invest in clean water, and reject the dangerous rollbacks to agencies working for a healthy Chesapeake Bay. Continued commitment and leadership on the Bay from state and federal partners will be critical for everyone who lives in our region.”
