Publications

Three decades after the Chesapeake Bay Program was formed, its partners have recommitted to restoring the watershed by signing the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement.

This plan for collaboration across the Bay’s political boundaries clarifies our vision, mission and values and establishes a set of goals and outcomes for the restoration of the Bay, its tributaries and the lands that surround them. This agreement encourages a forward-looking approach to conservation, focusing on immediate results and recognizing that our long-term efforts must be sustained by and for future generations.

Learn more about the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement.

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This document describes the organizational function and governance for the Chesapeake Bay Program partnership in advancing Bay protection and restoration through the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement signed in 2014.

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Watershed Implementation Plans (WIPs) are developed by the seven Chesapeake Bay watershed jurisdictions to help guide their actions as they work to meet the pollution reduction goals outlined in the Chesapeake Bay Total Maximum Daily Load (Bay TMDL) by 2025. These plans consider such things as ecological restoration and sustainability while allowing for greater transparency and accountability for improved performance. Each Bay jurisdiction is currently developing its third WIP (Phase III) since the Bay TMDL was established in 2010. Phase III WIPs are expected to include the specific steps that each of the seven jurisdictions intends to implement between 2019 and 2025 to meet Bay restoration goals.

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The data in Bay Barometer reflect the Chesapeake Bay’s health over the course of many years and, in some cases, decades. The publication offers a snapshot of the best available information from 2018 and 2019 on ecological health and our efforts to protect and restore the nation’s largest estuary, as well as our progress toward achieving the goals and outcomes of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement.

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The main purpose of this BMP guide is to provide summarized profiles for each CBP-approved BMP in the Watershed Model. Each reference sheet includes basic general information about a BMP, how it functions within the Watershed Model, what’s needed for the BMP to be reported for annual progress submissions, as well as links to additional information for readers who want more detailed information about the practice. Implementation aspects of a practice, such as cost, potential ecosystem co-benefits or impacts, maintenance or funding sources are not discussed in the reference sheets because such information varies based on the characteristics and priorities of a region, state or local area.

Second Edition published 11/2022. BMP additions included 04/2024.

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