Less nitrogen, phosphorus and sediment pollution is entering the Chesapeake Bay, according to a watershed model by the Chesapeake Bay Program.
The seven jurisdictions, including Virginia, that make up the Chesapeake Bay watershed have continued to make progress after being put on a "pollution diet" — a cleanup plan developed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to meet water quality standards.
Excessive phosphorous and nitrogen can be harmful to bay wildlife by causing excess algae to bloom, and too much sediment can prevent sunlight from reaching aquatic plants.
Changes in the agricultural sector were largely responsible for the reduction in nitrogen pollution. In Virginia, animal waste storage facilities, urban tree planting and shoreline stabilization initiatives were enacted as a part of the state's watershed implementation plan.
The model's simulation showed a 15.3% decrease in nitrogen, a 21.8% decrease in phosphorous and a 7.6% decrease in sediment pollution entering the bay from 2009 to 2024.
According to the model, phosphorous and nitrogen reduction goals for 2025 have not yet been met. The bay's blue crab population fell in 2025 to its second-lowest number in recent years. Pollution runoff may be a contributing factor, harming spawning crabs.
