Verifying these models through monitoring is vital to assessing the health of waterways.
The Bay Program expects to further update its indicator tool with the latest monitoring results by July.
This comes as the Trump administration has proposed extreme budget cuts to federal agencies working for a healthy Chesapeake Bay, including the EPA, NOAA, USGS, and USDA.
Starting in 2010 under the Chesapeake Clean Water Blueprint, the federal-state Bay restoration partnership committed to a 2025 deadline for goals to reduce nitrogen, phosphorus, and sediment pollution to the Bay.
The state partners are Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, New York, Delaware, and the District of Columbia.
While states have made notable progress on work to reduce pollution, particularly from wastewater treatment plants, efforts are lagging to curb polluted runoff from developed areas and farms.
Even though they are expected to miss the 2025 deadline, states are still required to meet the pollution-reduction goals.
Chesapeake Bay Foundation Senior Vice President for Programs Alison Prost issued the following statement.
“The Chesapeake Bay cleanup has made tremendous progress thanks to decades of partnership at the state, federal, and local levels. But far too much pollution still enters the Chesapeake Bay.
“The Bay is facing growing challenges from climate change and development, and we’re seeing troubling signs from blue crabs, striped bass, and other iconic species.
“The Trump administration’s proposed budget cuts threaten to devastate longstanding bipartisan work to restore the Bay and local rivers and streams.
“Congress must step up, invest in clean water, and reject the dangerous rollbacks to agencies working for a healthy Chesapeake Bay.
“Continued commitment and leadership on the Bay from state and federal partners will be critical for everyone who lives in our region.”
For more on Chesapeake Bay-related issues in Pennsylvania, visit the Chesapeake Bay Foundation-PA webpage. Click Here to sign up for Pennsylvania updates (bottom of left column). Click Here to support their work.
Also visit the Keystone 10 Million Trees Partnership to learn how you can help clean water grow on trees.
CBF has over 275,000 members in Bay Watershed.
Visit DEP’s Chesapeake Bay Watershed webpage to learn more about cleaning up rivers and streams in Pennsylvania's portion of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. Click Here to sign up for regular updates on Pennsylvania’s progress.
How Clean Is Your Stream?
The draft 2024 report has an interactive report viewer that allows you to zoom in to your own address to see if the streams near you are impaired and why.
Click Here to check out your streams. Click Here for a tutorial on using the viewer.
Related Articles This Week:
-- Foundation For Pennsylvania Watersheds Announces $650,000 In Conservation Grants; Next Grant Round Opens In August [PaEN]
-- David Staebler Posthumously Honored With Kathy Snavely Environmental Advocate Award By Middle Susquehanna RiverKeeper [PaEN]
-- Reforest Our Future Launches Native Tree Nursery & Education Center In Beaver County Supported By Shell Petrochemical Plant Mitigation Grant [PaEN]
-- Penn State Extension Hosts July 16 Webinar On Uses And Benefits Of Rain Barrels [PaEN]
NewsClips:
-- Chesapeake Bay Journal - Karl Blankenship: The Balancing Act - Keeping Farms Productive While Reducing Polluted Runoff
-- Chesapeake Bay Program Model Estimates Lower Amount Of Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Sediment Pollution Entering Chesapeake Bay
-- Chambersburg Public Opinion: Nature And Education Come Together At Furnace Run Park In Shippensburg Township
-- Middle Susquehanna RiverKeeper - John Zaktansky: Ripple Effects Environmental Literacy Convening To Offer Hands-On Learning Across Williamsport June 17
-- Penn State Extension Hosts July 16 Webinar On Uses And Benefits Of Rain Barrels [PaEN]
-- Middle Susquehanna RiverKeeper - John Zaktansky: Registration Opens For West Branch HERYN Kayak And Fish Programs July 1-2 At Bald Eagle State Park, Centre County
-- Middle Susquehanna RiverKeeper - John Zaktansky: Wildlife Photographer’s Viral Hellbender Photos Offer Learning Opportunity About Species Myths [No Hellbenders Don’t Eat Fish]
-- Middle Susquehanna RiverKeeper - John Zaktansky: Susquehanna County Conservation District’s Don Hibbard Urges Observation, Thinking Through Bigger Decisions At Home To Make A Difference For Nature
-- Middle Susquehanna RiverKeeper - Emily Shosh: Unassessed Water Program, Public Comment Offer Key Tools For Protecting Wild Trout Populations
-- Middle Susquehanna RiverKeeper - Emily Shosh: Amidea Daniels Fish & Boat Commission Educator Strives To Connect People To Natural Resources Through Creative Efforts Like Women’s Programming, Trout In Classroom
-- Middle Susquehanna RiverKeeper - John Zaktansky: New Aquatics & Acoustics Collection Of Songs Focuses On Environmental Education Opportunities
-- Pike County Conservation District: Down The Drain - Where Does The Water Go?
-- MCall: These Virtual Reality Games Can Teach You About The Lehigh Valley’s Watershed History
-- EPA Awards $216,000 Grant To Pennsylvania To Protect Beachgoers From Bacteria
-- Pittsburgh Water Authority Announces $75.4 Million Water Main, Lead Service Line Replacement Projects
-- Pittsburgh Business Times: Pittsburgh Water Authority Launches $75.4 Million Project To Replace 10 Miles Of Mains, 1,000 Service Lines
-- The Patch: Mandatory Drought Restrictions Lifted In Doylestown Boro, Bucks County
-- WHYY: Forecasters Predict Busy Hurricane Season For 2025
[Posted: June 3, 2025] PA Environment Digest
No comments:
Post a Comment