In December, during its annual meeting at the National Aquarium in Baltimore, the Chesapeake Bay Program’s Executive Council approved the revised Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement.
The agreement includes goals that will improve the health of the Chesapeake Bay, increase access to nature, and support livelihoods that depend on the estuary.
Representatives from the Chesapeake Bay’s six watershed states—Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Delaware, West Virginia, and New York—as well as from the EPA, the Chesapeake Bay Commission, and Washington, D.C., reached consensus on the new agreement earlier this year, following more than two years of work with scientific advisors, community representatives, and Chesapeake Bay advocates.
The process included a public feedback period that led to significant changes to the draft agreement. The revised agreement commits states to reducing nitrogen, phosphorus, and sediment pollution to the Bay by 2040.
In addition to clean water, the agreement also outlines goals for thriving habitat, fisheries, and wildlife; healthy landscapes; and engaged communities. These goals include specific objectives for oyster restoration, freshwater mussel restoration, wetlands preservation, waterbirds protection, land conservation, public access, and environmental workforce development, among many others.
The revised agreement also sets a 2040 deadline for most of these outcomes with a midpoint check-in in 2033 that will align with 50 years of the partnerships’ work to restore the Bay.
Together, Maryland and Virginia completed the largest oyster restoration project in the world by restoring oyster habitat and populations in 11 tidal rivers. At the same time as these large-scale oyster restoration efforts, Maryland has seen a tripling of its overall adult oyster population and several years of above average oyster harvests, averaging 475,000 bushels and $18 million annually in harvests during the previous five years.
Maryland also contributed to efforts that restored more than 2,500 miles of rivers to migrating fish. The state is preparing for the next three large-scale oyster restoration projects.
Planning is also underway for mussel restoration in the state, with the state’s mussel hatchery taking lessons from the oyster restoration projects and supported by funding through the Conowingo Dam settlement with Constellation.
The updated agreement aligns with Maryland’s new strategy for Bay restoration, which focuses on improvements to shallow waterways, such as streams, coastlines, and rivers. The five waterways supported by the Whole Watershed Act in Maryland will be test cases in how focused water quality improvement projects in a specific area can benefit habitats, communities, and economic opportunities.
During the meeting, Governor Josh Shapiro was unanimously elected by a bipartisan group of governors, elected leaders, and federal officials to serve as Chair of the Chesapeake Bay Executive Council. Governor Shapiro will take over from Governor Moore, who led the Executive Council for the previous two years.
This marks the first time in 20 years that Pennsylvania will lead the multi-state collaboration responsible for restoring the Chesapeake Bay and improving the health of local waterways across the watershed.
The Chesapeake Bay Program’s Executive Council serves as the primary policy and leadership body for restoring the Chesapeake Bay and members represent the nine signatories to the 2014 Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement.
The Chesapeake Bay Program (CBP) produces the Bay Barometer, an annual report on progress made toward the goals of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement.
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and other science providers contribute the long-term monitoring data and analysis needed to evaluate progress toward the outcomes reported on in the Bay Barometer.
sources: Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Chesapeake Bay Program, Maryland Department of Natural Resources, U.S. Geological Survey
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