Chesapeake Bay Report Card: C+ Grade Marks Highest Health Score in 40 Years
UMCES said the bay scored 56%, its highest mark in nearly 40 years, as underwater grasses expanded 13% and oysters continued to recover.
- On Tuesday, the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science released its 20th annual Chesapeake Bay and Watershed Report Card, awarding the estuary a C+ grade representing 56%. This marks the bay's healthiest assessment in nearly 40 years of monitoring.
- Researchers attributed the improved score largely to reduced rainfall, which limited pollution runoff into waterways. Underwater grasses expanded 13% in Maryland's portion of the bay, demonstrating success of long-term restoration efforts.
- The Upper Western Shore saw significant progress, with the Gunpowder River jumping from 43% water quality in 2024 to 57% last year. Maryland Natural Resources Secretary Josh Kurtz said, "oyster abundance has tripled" in five years.
- Maryland Environmental Secretary Serena McIlwain cited $1.7 billion in state investments as evidence of progress, yet federal support remains uncertain. Last month, President Donald Trump repealed an Obama-era executive order that had organized the federal response to bay cleanup.
- UMCES President Fernando Miralles-Wilhelm described the report as a milestone, not a finish line, emphasizing continued investment is essential. Experts warned that without sustained funding, momentum could stall amid remaining environmental challenges across the watershed.
21 Articles
21 Articles
Chesapeake Bay Health Rebounds To C+ In Best Grade Yet - The BayNet
The Chesapeake Bay’s ecological health rebounded in 2025 and scored its highest ever mark — by one percentage point — in the 40 years that the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science (UMCES) has been tracking it, according to the university’s latest report card. Although this year’s 56% overall score (a C-plus) is only […]
Chesapeake Bay Gets a C+ in Overall Health, Virginia and Maryland Leaders Say Work to Protect It Must Continue
The Chesapeake Bay earned a C+ on the annual report card that calculates improvements or losses in key indicators of health and conditions in the estuary and surrounding areas. This is the highest the Bay has ever scored since the record-keeping began in 2006. At the announcement in Woodbridge on Tuesday, Virginia leaders said the
LoudounTimes.com
Virginia MercuryChesapeake Bay gets a C+ in overall health, Va. and Md. leaders say work to protect it must continue
The Chesapeake Bay earned a C+ on the annual report card that calculates improvements or losses in key indicators of health and conditions in the estuary and surrounding areas. This is the highest the Bay has ever scored since the…
Maryland Matters
Chesapeake Bay gets a C+ in overall health, its highest score in 20 years of records
The Chesapeake Bay earned a C+ on the annual report card that calculates improvements or losses in key indicators of health and conditions in the estuary and surrounding areas. This is the highest the Bay has ever scored since the record-keeping began in 2006. At the announcement in Woodbridge, Virginia, on Tuesday, leaders said the […]
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