Press Center

The eighth annual Chesapeake Bay Awareness Week will take place from June 3-11, 2023. While this week has been officially designated in Maryland, Pennsylvania and Virginia, events will take place throughout the entire watershed to raise awareness about this valuable economic and environmental resource—a national treasure that directly connects over 18 million residents.

Reducing the amount of pollution entering the Chesapeake Bay and improving its water quality is proving to be more challenging than anticipated, according to a new report released by the Scientific and Technical Advisory Committee (STAC) for the Chesapeake Bay Program. The STAC, an independent entity that provides scientific and technical advice to the Chesapeake Bay Program, has spent the past four years evaluating reasons as to why progress in meeting the goals of the Chesapeake Bay Total Maximum Daily Load (Bay TMDL) and achieving water quality standards in the Chesapeake Bay has been slower than anticipated. The report also offers suggestions on how progress can be accelerated moving forward.

The Chesapeake Bay Program is pleased to announce that four communities throughout the Chesapeake Bay watershed have been given tools to meet their environmental and community needs. Launched in 2021, the Targeted Outreach for Green Infrastructure pilot program, sought to work with underserved regions in using green infrastructure to manage stormwater, improve water quality, add habitat and provide community benefits such as open space, pedestrian safety, shade and beautification. The designs for these four pilot projects are now complete.

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) announced today $33.8 million in grant awards to support the restoration and conservation of the Chesapeake Bay watershed. NFWF and EPA representatives joined local leaders and community members at Truxtun Park in Annapolis, MD to announce the awards. The 104 grants will leverage more than $30 million in matching contributions to generate a total conservation impact of more than $64 million.

Today, Chesapeake Bay Program partners released information on the state of the 2022 Chesapeake Bay dead zone. Experts from both the Maryland Department of Natural Resources and Virginia Institute of Marine Science concurred that hypoxic conditions in the Chesapeake Bay were better than average in 2022.

The Chesapeake Bay Program’s Scientific and Technical Assessment Committee is pleased to release Achieving Water Quality Goals in the Chesapeake Bay: A Comprehensive Evaluation of System Response. This independent report has been four years in the making to evaluate why progress meeting the Chesapeake Bay Total Maximum Daily Load and achieving healthy water quality standards in the Bay has been slower than expected. The report also identifies opportunities for improving the effectiveness of the Bay Program’s water quality management programs and living resource response. Authors of the report will be on hand to present an overview of findings and answer questions.

On Tuesday, October 11, 2022, the Chesapeake Executive Council will hold a public meeting and press event where they will discuss accelerating progress to meet the goals and outcomes of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement by 2025. Additionally, the council will hear a presentation from retiring Chesapeake Bay Commission Executive Director Ann Swanson, an update on the State of the Program from Chesapeake Bay Program Director Dr. Kandis Boyd and each member will provide remarks. More detailed information can be found on the October 2022 Executive Council meeting website.

Leadership and scientists from the Chesapeake Bay Program will join the York County Planning Commission and the U.S. Geological Survey Pennsylvania Water Science Center on Wednesday, September 21, 2022 in celebration of the Watershed Alliance of York’s 20th annual Watershed Week.

On Wednesday, December 15, 2021, the Chesapeake Executive Council will hold a public meeting and press event where they will hear an update on the activities that have taken place since the signing of the historic diversity, equity, inclusion and justice directive in 2020. Additionally, the council will review the partnership's progress toward achieving each outcome in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement by 2025, and each member or designee will provide remarks. More detailed information can be found on the December 2021 Executive Council meeting website.

On Friday, October 1, 2021, the Chesapeake Executive Council will hold a public meeting and press event during which the council will announce the adoption of a climate change directive for the Chesapeake Bay Program. Additionally, members of the Executive Council will have the opportunity to give remarks about how climate change is impacting their region and what measures they are taking to address it. Prior to the meeting, council members will be joined by Pamela Northam, First Lady of the Commonwealth of Virginia, and subject matter experts from the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia for an environmental education experience on the Lynnhaven River. More detailed information will be forthcoming on the 2021 Executive Council meeting's website.

Members of the media and other interested parties are invited to join Chesapeake Bay Program staff on Wednesday, February 24, 2021 from 12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. EST to learn more about this regional partnership. This virtual webinar is free and open to all.

On Wednesday, September 16, 2020, the Chesapeake Bay Program's Citizens Advisory Committee will host "Bridging the Gaps Between Environmental Quality and Public Health", a live webinar that seeks to foster a deeper understanding of the connections between the two fields. This virtual session is free and open to all.

On Tuesday, August 18, 2020, the Chesapeake Executive Council will hold a public meeting and press event during which they will set goals and provide guidance for the Chesapeake Bay Program. The council, established by the Chesapeake Bay Agreement of 1983, meets on an annual basis.

On Thursday, September 5, 2019, the Chesapeake Executive Council will hold a public meeting and press event during which they will set goals and provide guidance for the Chesapeake Bay Program. The council, established by the Chesapeake Bay Agreement of 1983, meets on an annual basis.

The Chesapeake Bay Program will release its annual, science-based snapshot of the nation's largest estuary, the Bay Barometer: Health and Restoration in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed (2017 - 2018) on Tuesday, April 2, 2019 at 3:00 p.m. ET. Subject matter experts will be on hand to answer questions regarding the most recent scientific data on the health of the Chesapeake Bay watershed, including its rivers, fisheries and habitats.