CAMBRIDGE, Md. — The Chesapeake Bay scored a C grade on the latest report card from the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science.
Despite showing improving trends over time, some regions still score poorly.
The overall Bay health score was increased by six points in the past two years, positive signs for the recovery of the Bay.
Of the seven indicators, there were still improvements in water clarity, nitrogen, phosphorus and aquatic grasses.
Although conditions in the bay overall are improving, many Bay tributaries still have poor scores with poor scores in the Eastern Shore watersheds.
“A clean Bay supports a healthy economy and a healthy environment. That’s why we’ve fought so hard to protect and restore this national treasure, and this progress shows that the historic federal investments are making a real difference. While this is a positive step forward, we know that we still have much work ahead to ensure a healthy Bay for today and generations to come,” said U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen of Maryland.
Watershed health was scored in three categories, ecological, societal and economic health. In 2022, ecological score a B-, societal scored a C and economic scored a C.
Overall, the ecological, social, and economic conditions on the Eastern Shore of Maryland and Virginia are worse than other regions across all three categories.
This year is the first time an integrated environmental justice index has been included in the report card.
Back in January, the Chesapeake Bay and its watershed received a D+ grade from the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. This score remained unchanged from the 2020 score.
