State officials announced that Maryland has achieved or exceed nearly all Bay pollution reduction targets.
Earlier this month, state officials announced Maryland has successfully met or surpassed nearly all of its pollution reduction targets set under the 2014 Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement to improve water quality. Based on the most recent information from the Chesapeake Bay Program’s pollution model, Maryland achieved 100% of its sediment reduction goal, 100% of the phosphorus reduction goal and 99% of the nitrogen reduction goal from 2009 to 2025. The model was updated this year based on data from 2025.
Under the 2014 Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement, Maryland also helped achieve goals for tributary-scale oyster restoration, land conservation, fish passage, and public access.
Maryland’s pollution reductions outpaced the broader Bay partnership’s efforts, which met the sediment reduction goal but fell short on meeting the watershed’s overall goals for reducing nitrogen and phosphorus. Under the newly revised Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement, Bay watershed jurisdictions will continue working toward the 2025 pollutant reduction targets until 2030 when the partnership will adopt updated targets—informed by the latest science—to meet by 2040.
By reducing sources of nitrogen, phosphorus, and sediment pollution, investing in watershed-scale habitat improvements, and continuing the state’s legacy of land conservation, Maryland is improving water quality for fish and crabs as well as the industries that depend on the Chesapeake Bay. Maryland’s tourism economy generates an estimated $3.2 billion in economic activity around the Bay while the state’s robust seafood industry contributes about $600 million annually to the state’s economy.
