Health of the Chesapeake Bay Back to a C

 

from ttps://ecoreportcard.org/report-cards/chesapeake-bay/bay-health/

Last week the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science released their 14th annual report card on the health of the Chesapeake Bay for 2020. Overall, Chesapeake Bay scored 45% in 2020 up from a 44% in 2019 and down from the all time high of 55% in 2002. As you can see below, overall Chesapeake Bay Health Scores have been variable in the past and bounced around a bit.

UM Center for Environmental Science

From 2015-2017 the, Chesapeake Bay Health Scores were in the high C range (53, 54, 54). At that time the consecutive scores contributed to an overall positive trajectory and it appeared that we were making progress. More time only served to show that the Health Index broke out of its historical range to the down side.

Bay Health | EcoHealth Report Cards (ecoreportcard.org)

As you can see in the graphs above from the University of Maryland Bay Health | EcoHealth Report Cards (ecoreportcard.org), water clarity has been decreasing while nitrogen, phosphorus and aquatic grasses score have shown an improving trend. 

This is pretty discouraging considering all the effort and money that has gone into the Watershed Implementation Plans to meet the goals of the Chesapeake Clean Water Blueprint. Billions of dollars have been spent trying to meet the pollution reductions mandated by the U.S. EPA in the Chesapeake Bay by 2025 that was supposed to lead to the "fishable, swimmable" waters.

from University of Maryland 

To end on a bright note, the University of Maryland analysis of Chesapeake Watershed health  scored a 64%, a B-. This analysis uses both ecological and social indicators in its score. This was slightly above the 60% from last year, but there were four new watershed health indicators were assessed this year: Stewardship Index, Protected Lands, Heat Vulnerability Index, and Walkability. The Stewardship Index looks at actions that residents are taking to support the Bay, volunteerism, and civic engagement. The Protected Lands indicator measures the valuable lands protected in the watershed that maintain water quality and habitat; sustain forests, farms, and communities; and support cultural, indigenous, and community values. The Heat Vulnerability Index focuses on climate safe neighborhoods throughout the watershed and includes data on tree canopy, impervious surface, temperature, and poverty. Walkability describes how many people can walk to a park in 10 minutes.