Press Center

This year, the Chesapeake Bay’s summer “dead zone” was the smallest it’s been since monitoring began in 1985, according to data released by the Chesapeake Bay Program’s monitoring partners: The Maryland Department of Natural Resources, Old Dominion University and the Virginia Institute of Marine Science.

As of 2022, data collected by the Chesapeake Bay Program show that 9.1 million acres of land in the Chesapeake Bay watershed—22% of the total land in the region—are permanently protected from development.

Maryland Governor Wes Moore was elected chair by members of the Chesapeake Executive Council today when they gathered at the National Arboretum in Washington, D.C. for their annual meeting. Governor Moore takes over leadership of the federal-state Chesapeake Bay Program partnership from U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Michael Regan, who has led the Council for the past two years.

The Chesapeake Bay Program announced today that an estimated 28.1% of the Chesapeake Bay and its tidal tributaries met water quality standards attainment during the 2019-2021 assessment period. This score is slightly lower than the previous assessment period (2018-2020) when Bay water quality standards attainment was estimated to be 28.9%.

Recent analysis of land use and land cover data from the Chesapeake Bay Program’s Very-High Resolution Land Use/Land Cover and Change Data show 1,927,940 acres (3,012.4 square miles) throughout the watershed are covered by impervious surfaces. This represents 4.75% of the entire land area of the Bay watershed (an area of approximately 40,546,643 acres, or 63,354 square miles). Impervious surfaces are considered to be any area that blocks the filtration of water.

On Thursday, October 19, 2023, the Chesapeake Executive Council will hold a public meeting and press event where they will reflect on the successes, challenges and lessons learned from the past 40 years to inform the next phase of watershed restoration.

Please join the Chesapeake Bay Program and NFWF in celebrating the partnership’s 40th anniversary! The following organizations will be leading tours to show how their restoration projections are helping to improve their local waterways while contributing to the Watershed Agreement outcomes.

Please join the Chesapeake Bay Program and NFWF in celebrating the partnership’s 40th anniversary! The following organizations will be leading tours to show how their restoration projections are helping to improve their local waterways while contributing to the Watershed Agreement outcomes.

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.