Enhancing the Chesapeake Bay Program Monitoring Networks: A Report to the Principals’ Staff Committee

This report provides an overview of the Chesapeake Bay Program's monitoring network and identifies opportunities to address capacity shortfalls and implement enhancements.

Publication date:

Description

In March 2021, the Chesapeake Bay Program's Principals' Staff Committee (PSC) requested a study and recommendations on how to improve Chesapeake Bay Program monitoring networks, including an overview of current status and threats to the networks and what is needed to address capacity shortfalls. The monitoring networks include core networks supported primarily by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Chesapeake Bay Program funding, and partnership networks supported by multiple federal and state agencies. The monitoring review was guided by leadership from the Scientific, Technical Assessment and Reporting Team and the Chesapeake Bay Program Monitoring Team, with input from Scientific and Technical Advisory Committee leadership. The resulting report is organized into four major sections.

Section 1: Chesapeake Bay Program Network Portfolios

Provides a summary of the existing CBP core networks (most with a focus on water quality) with recommendations and potential investments to address development, maintenance and improvement of these networks.

Section 2: Chesapeake Bay Agreement Goals and Outcomes Monitoring Needs

Summarizes the partner-led monitoring and broader needs of the 10 goals and associated outcomes in the 2014 Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement.

Section 3: Partnership Opportunities to Enhance Chesapeake Bay Program Monitoring

Provides potential approaches for partners to collaborate on addressing the vast number of monitoring data needs to support decision-making requirements of the Chesapeake Bay Program partnership. 

Section 4: Principals’ Staff Committee Charge to the Monitoring Review Team and Foundational Assessment Results

Provides an overview of methodology used to conduct the monitoring program assessment for the Principal’s Staff Committee request and details of input from the collective monitoring representatives to inform the information in the previous sections of the report.

Key Findings 

  1. Monitoring is critical to assess progress towards meeting goals and outcomes of the 2014 Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement.
  2. Monitoring is insufficient for many outcomes.
  3. While opportunities for enhancing the networks exist, funding is a challenge.

Project Resources

Category: Report

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