This post was originally published on The Washington Informer
By Kayla Benjamin
The health of the Chesapeake Bay has seen significant improvements over time, but parts of the region still face pollution issues and progress has somewhat plateaued in recent years, according to a report released last week. The University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science gave the Bay’s overall health a “C” grade in its annual report.
The grade has not changed much since 2019, when it received a C-. But the health of the Bay has seen significant improvements, and the score itself went up by 6% compared with last year. Despite this progress, experts generally expect the region to miss its 2025 goal for cleaning up nutrient pollution.
“While the trajectory of improvements, particularly concerning nutrients in the Bay, is in the right direction, we need to pick up the pace,” said Peter Goodwin, president of UMCES, in a statement.