Chesapeake Bay Watershed
The Chesapeake Bay Watershed is more than 64,000-square-miles in area and stretches across portions of six states and the District of Columbia. All water inputs to this watershed eventually drain into the Chesapeake Bay, the largest estuary in the United States. The bay is vital to the economies of the region as an area for commercial fishing, shipping, ship construction and maintenance, and for a variety of recreational activities. (MAP)
At present, a growing population of more than 16 million people live in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Increased human presence and activity in the watershed is leading to increased loading of nitrogen and phosphorus into streams and rivers. These tributaries eventually flow into the bay, resulting in elevated nutrient concentrations that are responsible for declines in overall bay health. (POP. GRAPH)