In 2010, watershed management plans were developed for 54,018 acres in Maryland. Plans have been developed for a total of 14 million acres in Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia and the District of Columbia, which is almost 62 percent of the goal.
Analysis & Methods (58 KB) 
Download Data (45.5 KB) Fritz Schroeder, Director of LIVE Green Lancaster (a program of the Lancaster County Conservancy), explains how the city is using green infrastructure to capture stormwater runoff before it makes its way to the Chesapeake Bay.
Close Captions: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vIMb7ldNWx4
Produced by Steve Droter
Music: “Joke” by Jahzzar
Protecting local watersheds is a complicated and challenging task. Watershed management plans are strategic guides that help local communities protect and restore streams, forest buffers, wetlands, parks and other natural areas. Watershed plans preserve not only ecological health, but also the quality of life in communities.
The Bay Program has a goal to develop and implement watershed management plans for two-thirds of the total watershed acreage in Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia and the District of Columbia (22.7 million acres) by 2010. The total watershed acreage of Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia and the District of Columbia is estimated to be 34 million acres.
Amount completed since 2005 (baseline year)
As of 2010, there are 13,999,385 acres that have watershed plans. Translating these plans into action will be essential to restoring water quality.
Amount completed in 2010
Watershed plans were developed for 54,018 acres in Maryland.
In the last decade, the Chesapeake Bay watershed’s population grew by about 150,000 residents annually. Planning for this growth is a critical part of Bay restoration because of the vast amount of land that drains into the relatively shallow Bay.
Watershed Management Plan Criteria
Bay Program partners have agreed to four minimum criteria for the watershed plans represented in this indicator. The plans need to:
Amy Handen
National Park Service (NPS)
(410) 260-2493
