CHESAPEAKE BAY, Md. — A slight decline in the health of the Chesapeake Bay, but still a trend showing long-term improvement, according to the 2025 Chesapeake Bay and Watershed Report Card.
The University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science (UMCES) released its annual report card and the Chesapeake Bay received a C. This is only slightly down from last year's C+, which was the Bay's highest grade since 2002.
Despite the lower grade, the report still sees a trend of improvement in the long-term.
There were five ecological indicators, four economic indicators, and three societal indicators that were graded to comprise the overall score.
Eleven out of fifteen region scores decreased. The report says this isn't surprising considering the weather conditions of 2024, which was the hottest year on record, with intense rainfall causing increased runoff into the Bay.
The long-term improvement has been a team effort on the regional, state, and local levels. Wastewater treatment plants in the area have been upgraded, and new programs are reducing runoff that pollutes the bay.
The state is working to plant underwater grasses, plant more oysters, and better plan what is happening across the entire watershed.
Overall, the Chesapeake Bay Watershed scored a C+. This score is made up of three categories: Ecology, Society, and Economy.
The highest-scoring category was Ecology, with a B-. The Economy category followed with a C+. The lowest scoring category was Society, with a C.
The lowest-scoring indicator was Income Equality while Jobs Growth was the highest-scoring.
The report says this means that while there are more jobs across the watershed there is still a huge difference in the amount people are earning.
