Near the end of May the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science released their 15th annual report card on the health of the Chesapeake Bay. Overall, Chesapeake Bay scored 50% in 2021 up from a 45% in 2020 and down from the all time high of 55% in 2020. As you can see below, overall Chesapeake Bay Health Scores have been variable in the past and bounced around a bit.
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| Blue line is overall and black is the Potomac River in all exhibits |
From 2015-2017 the overall 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 towards the U.S. EPA mandated TMDL goals.
More time only served to show that the Health Index is a very flat graph with occasional break outs to the positive and negative sides. The overall health appears to be range bound and now it is on another upward trajectory. The Potomac River health has fallen from last year's high.
The Bay states continue with the Watershed Implementation Plans to meet the goals of the Chesapeake Clean Water Blueprint. However, I am not seeing any results from the money spent and effort. Billions of dollars have been spent in Virginia 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. As it has for years, the Lower Bay in Virginia had the best health relative to the rest of the estuary. I attribute this to the money spent upgrading Virginia’s waste water treatment plants and proximity to tidal influence. The question has to be asked if the actions and investments are merely managing the Chesapeake Bay model rather than improving the health of the Bay.
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