Published:
December 1, 2018
Originator:
US EPA; USGS; US F&WS
Associated with:
Toxic Contaminants Workgroup

Exposure to toxic contaminants can result in adverse effects on biological resources within the Chesapeake Bay and its watershed. In 2010, the Chesapeake Bay Program (CBCP), a federal-jurisdictional partnership, reported that 72 percent of the Bay's tidal-water segments are fully or partially impaired as a result of the presence of toxic contaminants. In some areas of the Bay watershed, fish-consumption advisories have been established as a result of concentrations of toxic contaminants. In recognition of these issues, the CBP developed the Toxics 2000 Strategy, in which commitments were made to prevent and reduce inputs of chemical contaminant and to eliminate toxic impacts on living resources that inhabit the Bay and its tributaries.

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