You can help shape the future of Chesapeake Bay restoration

Ever since I began working at the Chesapeake Bay Program in 2016, the year ‘2025’ has loomed in the distance. In 2010, the partnership agreed to have all practices in place that would meet the nitrogen, phosphorus and sediment pollutant reductions as outlined in the Chesapeake Bay Total Maximum Daily Load (Bay TMDL) by 2025. So, when the 2014 Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement was being drafted, it seemed like a natural fit for many of the outcomes to also have a target date of 2025 in which to meet their goals. 

Members of the Chesapeake Executive Council—the governors of Delaware, Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, the mayor of Washington, D.C., the chair of the tri-state legislative Chesapeake Bay Commission and the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency on behalf of the federal government–signed this brand-new Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement, which contained 10 goals and 31 outcomes aimed at restoring the Chesapeake Bay and its surrounding watershed, in June 2014.

Several of these outcomes did meet their targets by 2025–18 of them, in fact! But when it was time to begin thinking about the future of Bay restoration beyond 2025, we didn’t want to simply forget about the incredible amount of work that had gone into and the progress that had been made on the 13 remaining outcomes. In 2022, the Chesapeake Executive Council directed the partnership’s Principals’ Staff Committee to recommend a path forward up to and beyond 2025. Over the next two years, this direction produced Charting a Course to 2025 and A Critical Path Forward for the Chesapeake Bay Program Beyond 2025. The latter recommended the Chesapeake Executive Council consider updating the 2014 Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement.

At their 2024 meeting, the Chesapeake Executive Council agreed with the Principals’ Staff Committee recommendations and further directed them to revise the 2014 Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement by reviewing the 31 outcomes and consider whether to consolidate, reduce, update, remove, replace or add new ones. Additionally, the Principals’ Staff Committee and Management Board reviewed other portions of the Watershed Agreement for needed revisions, including the Vision, Preamble, Principles and Management Strategies. (Note: The Chesapeake Executive Council also directed the Principals’ Staff Committee with recommending a simplified and streamlined structure and process for the Chesapeake Bay Program, a process that is currently underway.)

Every member of the Chesapeake Bay Program has worked feverishly since last December to produce a revised Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement that is based on the best-available science and considers the latest policy, emerging watershed threats and new opportunities. It’s now time to unveil the draft updated Watershed Agreement and see what you all think. 

Public Feedback Process

The 2025 Revised Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement, along with related background materials, may be accessed on the Chesapeake Bay Program’s Planning for 2025 and Beyond website. Public feedback will be accepted beginning Tuesday, July 1, 2025 through 11:59 p.m. on Monday, September 1, 2025 by email to comments@chesapeakebay.net.

Here are some commonly asked questions to help guide you as you prepare to submit your feedback.

• What sections of the revised Watershed Agreement can be commented on?
  • Every section of the revised Watershed Agreement may be commented on.
• Do you have any suggestions for how my feedback should be structured?
  • It would be very helpful if your feedback included the sections and page numbers of the Watershed Agreement that you are commenting on. As an example, you could categorize your responses as pertaining to the Vision, Preamble, Principles, Management Strategies or specify a particular Goal or Outcome. Please be as specific as possible about how you would like to see these sections, goals or outcomes revised. Specific edits are much easier to review and incorporate than more generalized comments.
• Why do some of the outcomes have blank spaces instead of numerical targets?
  • Some of the revised outcomes require additional research and calculations to ensure their proposed targets are specific, measurable and achievable. Given the tight timeframe in which we had to prepare an updated Watershed Agreement for public review, it was decided to keep some numerical targets blank at this time so subject matter experts could continue to determine the most appropriate figure to include. Your thoughts and feedback are also welcome on what these numerical targets should be! The subject matter experts will take this feedback into consideration as well.
• How will feedback be reviewed?
  • All feedback will be read, categorized and reviewed by a 12-person team representing the federal and state agencies and advisory committees that make up the Chesapeake Bay Program. A revised draft of the updated Watershed Agreement will be presented to the Management Board in October 2025.
• Will I be able to see other feedback that has been submitted?
  • Yes, all received public feedback will be posted to the Planning for 2025 and Beyond website, along with a high-level summary of what has been received. Feedback from individuals will be posted with identifying information removed. Feedback from organizations, agencies or businesses will be shared as it is received, with identifying information and affiliations.
• How can I ensure the representatives from my state see my comments?
  • You are encouraged to indicate the state that you reside in when you submit your feedback so we may share it with your state’s representatives to the partnership. If your comments are in reference to a particular state or D.C. and not the entire watershed or agreement, we ask that you indicate that in your feedback as well. Feedback from individuals will be shared anonymously, unless you specify otherwise. Feedback from organizations, agencies or businesses will be shared as it is received, with identifying information and affiliations.
• I’d prefer to pick up the phone and call someone directly to relay my feedback.
  • Unfortunately, feedback is only being accepted via email to comments@chesapeakebay.net but the July and August Management Board meetings will have time set aside for public feedback. Please visit the Meetings Calendar on chesapeakebay.net prior to each the meeting to confirm the time of the public feedback session.
• Will you wait to review all feedback until September?
  • Feedback will be reviewed on a rolling basis throughout the 60-day period. We highly encourage you to submit your comments early and not wait until September 1.
• Can I provide feedback on the proposed revisions to the Chesapeake Bay Program’s structure and governance process?
  • The focus of this 60-day feedback period is the draft revised Watershed Agreement, but comments on the Chesapeake Bay Program’s structure and governance process will be accepted; these comments will be provided to the team of representatives from across the partnership, including federal and state agencies, non-profits and advisory committees that are tasked with developing recommendations for streamlining the structure and process of the Chesapeake Bay Program. The Management Board and Principal’s Staff Committee will discuss and determine whether to move these recommendation’s forward to the Chesapeake Executive Council in December.