This is the 50th Anniversary of the Clean Water Act. However, the Chesapeake Bay continues to experience pollution from runoff from the Chesapeake Bay Watershed, a body that spans 64,000 miles and seven states.

Nitrogen and phosphorus contamination from farms, stormwater runoff (caused by increasing storms due to climate change), and a rise in water temperature have created massive algae blooms that are suffocating the bay. The bay is home to a multi-billion dollar fishing and recreation industry, as well as home to many residents.

In 2010, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation sued the EPA for lack of oversight. The resulting ruling created the Chesapeake Clean Water Blueprint, a plan to cap the amount of nutrients going into the Chesapeake Bay by 2025. As that deadline looms, it’s clear that the goal will not be met (this was just recently confirmed by the EPA and the Chesapeake Bay Foundation). We’ve filmed interviews with lawyers, scientists, fishermen, river keepers, and the EPA.

RELATED INITIATIVES

A woman walks along a dock with a boat nearby

Initiative

Connected Coastlines

Connected Coastlines

RELATED TOPICS

yellow halftone illustration of an elephant

Topic

Environment and Climate Change

Environment and Climate Change
Governance

Topic

Governance

Governance
a yellow halftone illustration of a seal with a plastic net around its neck

Topic

Pollution

Pollution