CHESAPEAKE BAY - The University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science (UMCES) has released their 2023/2024 Chesapeake Bay & Watershed Report Card, finding the overall health of the bay is showing promising improvement.
In the latest report card, released July 9th, UMCES rates the overall health of the Bay with a C+, up from the previous year’s C rating. UMCES says this C+ rating is the highest overall grade for the bay since 2002.
“The overall Chesapeake Bay score is still showing a significantly improving trend,” UMCES says in the newly-released report card. “This is an exciting sign that progress is being made in bay restoration.”
The overall health score, based on data collected in 2023, is up 4% based on several measured indicators including total phosphorus, nitrogen, water clarity, dissolved oxygen levels, and the condition of organisms living in the bay.
While some areas of the bay, including the Lower Eastern Shore and Mid Bay, showed little change over the previous year, others such as the Choptank showed strong improvement, according to UMCES. The report card shows the Upper Eastern Shore exhibited a slight declining trend.
“While a C+ is an improvement, it’s clear that far too much pollution is still entering the Bay," said Chesapeake Bay Foundation Vice President for Environmental Protection and Restoration Alison Prost. "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," Prost continued. "But there’s still a lot of work to be done."
The report card also monitors the health of the bay’s surrounding watershed, which UMCES says did not change from the previous year. The Chesapeake Bay Watershed scored 52%, or a C, in both 2022 and 2023, with the lowest scoring region being the Choptank.
The full 2023/2024 report card for both the Chesapeake Bay and Chesapeake Bay Watershed can be found on the UMCES website.